Wisconsin Guard unit kicks off inaugural Spur Ride

By Sgt. Tyler Lasure

112th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Eighty members of the Wisconsin Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 105th Cavalry Squadron, entered a gauntlet of physical, mental and environmental challenges known as a Spur Ride Aug. 4-5 at Fort McCoy, Wis. - and 34 emerged with a pair of silver spurs and a coveted place in the Order of the Spur.

"The Silver Spurs for a cavalryman is a rite of passage and proves to the rest of your comrades that you are worth your salt," said Lt. Col. Bill Kehoe, commander of the 1st Battalion, 105th Cavalry Squadron - commonly referred to as the 105th Cav. "It is an epic accomplishment for a cavalryman."

This was the first Spur Ride ever conducted by the 105th Cav, a subordinate unit of the 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team. The tradition of wearing spurs and the Stetson hats is unique to the Cavalry, and earning one's spurs is held in the same regard as earning the expert or combat infantry badge.

Capt. David Shamsi, officer in charge of the 105th Cav's Spur Ride, said the spurs and Stetsons contribute to a cavalry squadron's esprit de corps.

"There is an aura of a Cav Soldier," Shamsi said. "Earning your silver spurs, getting your gold spurs for going to combat, being able to wear the Stetson is a special thing because we have that heritage."

Spur Rides vary from unit to unit, but it is the only method of joining the Order of the Spur. Competitors in the 105th Cav had to demonstrate their mastery of cavalry tasks - navigating between points, radio communications, first aid, weapons and hand grenade proficiency, detecting and placing mines, avoiding and identifying boobytraps, requesting artillery fire on a target, identifying enemy vehicle types, and completing an eight-mile road march in roughly two hours. Troopers were also tested on their knowledge of the history and traditions of the cavalry.

"The spur ride really gives us an opportunity to focus on those tasks so that at the end we not only get the silver spur and esprit de corps, we get what we are supposed to do, which is proper training to standard," said 105th Cav Command Sgt. Maj. Drew Zelle.

1st Sgt. Jeffrey Kent of Troop B, 105th Cav, agreed.

"I'm a leader," he said after completing the 8.25-mile road march. "I should be able to lead my men. I want them to follow in my footsteps."

Kent already has a pair of gold spurs, which signify a combat deployment.

"Getting the silver - it's pride," he explained.

Sgt. Michael Fujihara, also of Troop B, said he looked forward to this event, having missed the opportunity to take part in a Spur Ride while on active duty.

"It was a lot of hard work," Fujihara said afterward. "It's a lot to accomplish, but now our mission is to make sure those who didn't earn their spurs know the standard. We'll train them up for the next one."

Those Troopers not competing for spurs were either serving as evaluators or as logistical and training support. Spurs were presented during the family day and pig roast which immediately followed the event.

"The [Spur Ride] is a long-standing tradition in the cavalry," said Sgt. Joseph Bures of Troop A, 105th Cav, a silver spur holder and an event evaluator. "It is always nice to uphold those traditions and live up to the standards that the cavalry has set in the past."

"It has been raining, thundering, storming - it has been hot, it has been cold," Zelle said. "My Troopers are wet, tired, crabby, but they have been motivated. It is something they really enjoy, even though it sucks. But at the end of that eight-mile road march everybody is going to be cheering, everyone is going to be happy and they are going to be proud of being cavalrymen - and that is what it is supposed to be. It is not an easy thing to do."

"Regardless of earning their spurs or not, everyone was highly motivated and will be very proud that they did this," Kehoe added.

Spc. Benjamin Pechacek, a silver spur holder who served as an evaluator at the weapons and hand grenade station, offered a similar assessment of this rite of passage.

"It's supposed to be tough, physically and mentally - but it can be fun, too," Pechacek said. "The Army has a standard and it holds you to it. So in the end, when you earn your spurs, you remember the pain, the dirt, the (expletive), and you can be proud."

Spc. Alexandria Hughes, 32nd Brigade Public Affairs Team, contributed to this report.

SECNAV Visits Logistics Group Western Pacific and Navy Region Center Singapore

By Lt. Cmdr. Clay Doss, Logistics Group Western Pacific Public Affairs

SINGAPORE (NNS) -- Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus addressed U.S. Sailors and Navy civilians during an all hands call at Logistics Group Western Pacific (COMLOG WESTPAC) and Navy Region Center Singapore (NRCS) Aug. 8.

Mabus thanked all hands for their continued service while assigned in Singapore.

"The people at home will never know how much skill and talent it takes to wear the uniform and do your job on a day to day basis in this part of the world," said Mabus. "You make America safer, more secure, and just a better place."

Mabus highlighted the renewed focus on the Western Pacific in the new strategic guidance released by the Department of Defense in January, noting that the continued U.S. military presence in East Asia since World War II had contributed to regional peace and stability.

"The military has always been here in the region," said Mabus. "From a Navy-centric standpoint, the new strategy puts more emphasis on the Navy and Marine Corps."

Mabus held the all hands call during a four-day visit to Singapore that included meetings with US and Singaporean military and civilian officials along with attendance of Singapore's 47th National Day parade.

The Secretary's visit reinforced the importance of the strategic partnership between the U.S and Singapore.

"For all of the military services involved with engagement in this region, from the exercises to continued access of this regional hub, we have no better partner than Singapore," said Mabus. "We'll bring the first of up to four Littoral Combat Ships here next Spring."

While no U.S. base exists in Singapore, the U.S. Navy presence here dates back several decades and the Navy leases facilities from the Singaporean government. Today, the U.S. military community in Singapore includes active duty, civilian personnel and family members, distributed among 15 commands.

COMLOG WESTPAC was established at the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA), Sembawang Terminal, in July 1992, after the command's relocation from Naval Station Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines. Established in 2007, NRCS provides administrative support to nine Navy, Army, Air Force and Joint commands in Singapore. It also manages 165 family and bachelor housing units and dozens of command, administrative and warehouse facilities.

COMLOG WESTPAC and NRCS are the U.S. 7th Fleet's providers of combat-ready logistics and shore support services. These commands maintain and operate government-owned and contracted vessels to keep combatant ships and units throughout the region armed, fueled and fed.

Additionally, COMLOG WESTPAC is 7th Fleet's Theater Security Cooperation agent for Southeast Asia, promoting military-to-military relations and coordinating exercises such as Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training.

Vaccinate to Protect Babies from Whooping Cough

By the Health.mil Staff

Pertussis, more commonly known as “whooping cough,” is on the rise in parts of the United States and proper vaccination can protect against this highly contagious bacterial infection.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that pertussis, which causes severe coughing fits that can produce a “whooping” sound when an infected patient struggles to take a breath, has been on the rise in the United States in recent years.   The disease can be deadly to newborns and infants who are at high risk for complications, pneumonia and delays in their breathing.

Whooping cough is spread by breathing in bacteria from an infected person’s cough. Early symptoms of the disease are similar to those of a common cold but, two weeks later a persistent cough can develop along with a runny nose, fever and diarrhea. Since the symptoms are so close to those of the common cold, a doctor has to test a mucus sample to determine if it’s pertussis.

Pertussis usually affects babies and small children, who are required to receive several stages of pertussis vaccinations. Immunity can wear off over time, requiring a booster shot after the age of 18. Very few adults get that shot, however, putting them at greater risk of unknowingly passing on the infection to their children. Many times, adults will have a persistent cough that they think is a remnant of a cold or bronchitis when, in fact, it’s pertussis. Pregnant women are encouraged to get the pertussis vaccine late in the second or third trimester so they can pass on protective antibodies to their babies at birth. Teens and adults who are in frequent contact with babies are encouraged to get the vaccine, if they have not already received it, to form a virtual cocoon of immunity around the newborn.

August is immunization awareness month in the military health system.

To learn more about preventing and treating pertussis, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.

Soldier Finishes Eighth in Olympic Greco-Roman Wrestling

By Tim Hipps

U.S. Army Installation Management Command

LONDON, Aug. 8, 2012 – Team USA coaches did not recognize their wrestler as Army Spc. Justin Lester -- or Harry Lester, as some know him -- as he finished eighth in the Olympic men’s Greco-Roman 66-kilogram tournament yesterday at ExCel North Arena 2 here.

“He was lacking the normal Harry Lester zip that he has,” Team USA Greco-Roman head wrestling coach Steve Fraser said. “Harry, or Justin, looked a little bit sluggish, and he looked like he got a little bit tired.”

“That wasn’t Justin Lester out there tonight,” said Team USA assistant coach Shon Lewis, a retired Army staff sergeant and head coach of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program wrestling squad. “All day it wasn’t him. He doesn’t give up points like that and get taken down like that when he’s on his game. This is the worst I’ve seen him look, as far as moving on his feet.”

Lester, 28, a native of Akron, Ohio, who is stationed at Fort Carson, Colo., won one match and lost two in London as Team USA failed to win an Olympic medal in Greco-Roman wrestling for the first time since 1976, excluding the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Moscow Games.

Lester lost 5-0, 5-0 to Germany’s Frank Staebler in the repechage wrestle-backs of the 145.4-pound class, ending his medal quest before a raucous, sellout crowd of 6,500.

“What I will try to keep in my mind as the lasting emotions are my feelings in the second bout against the American wrestler when the big crowd of several thousands of spectators cheered the wrestlers on,” Staebler said.

Korea’s Hyeon-Woo Kim won the gold medal and Hungary’s Tamas Lorincz took the silver. France’s Steve Guenot and Georgia’s Manukhar Tskhadia both received a bronze.

For Lester, one of Team USA’s strongest Olympic medal hopefuls in wrestling, it was a day he would just as soon forget.

“I just couldn’t get the ball rolling, and it obviously showed,” Lester said. “I just couldn’t get going. I’m a little sick, but [that] plays no part in it. I just didn’t wrestle like I usually wrestle. … I just wrestled stupid. I didn’t stick to a game plan or anything.

“I kept telling my body to do things and it just wouldn’t work,” he continued. “Everything was like a step behind. … Things I usually do naturally just didn’t come together today.”

Lester lost his second match 2-0, 0-1, 0-2 to Lorincz, who rallied to win the last two periods.

“It looked like [Lester] just kind of slipped as they were fighting,” Fraser said of the Hungarian’s takedown that turned the momentum of the match. “They were fighting very hard, and he kind of slipped and fell down on his stomach or side, and the Hungarian capitalized on it.

“Harry is the type of guy that doesn’t study his guys too much,” Fraser added. “We studied as coaches. We knew what his strengths and what his weaknesses were, but Harry likes to just wrestle open and doesn’t really care what his opponent is doing, and that’s what he did. I think he executed his game plan pretty well, but it just looked like he was lacking the normal Harry Lester zip that he has.”

Lester opened with a self-admittedly sluggish 3-0, 3-1 victory over Tsutomu Fujimura of Japan.

“I thought that first match was good to get it out of his system,” Fraser said of Lester’s apparent sluggishness. “A lot of times in the first match you’re a little sluggish. They were both hard-fought matches. When you go at that high-intensity pace, you’re going to get tired. But I just saw not the normal zip, zip. And he’s going to have that zip, zip coming up here if he gets pulled through here.”

Lester got the opportunity to wrestle back for bronze after Lorincz reached the 66-kilo finale with a 3-0, 4-0 victory over Tskhadaia.

Justin Dashaun Lester is better known as Harry in USA wrestling circles. He began using his given name rather than his nickname when he joined the Army and began wrestling for the black and gold.

“I just thought I would be a little more formal, a little more professional,” Lester explained. “I had gone by Harry my whole life. When my mom was pregnant with me, she always had heartburn, so people said she had a hairball in her throat. So when I came out, they just nicknamed me ‘Harry’ and it stuck.”

Regardless of household names, the Olympic Games are known for turning athletic stars into mere mortals, as Lester, making his Olympic debut, quickly discovered.

“It’s a hard tournament,” he said. “You come out right away shooting guns. You’ve got good people right off the bat, and it’s all the way through the tournament. People up their games here, and that’s just how it goes. The experience is something you’ll never get anywhere else.”

Lester, who said he normally cuts 25 to 30 pounds in preparation for a major tournament, cherished the Olympic experience in London, even if the outcome was much different than what he had envisioned.

Wrestlers traditionally leave their shoes on the mat after their final match to signal retirement from the sport. Fraser said he would like to see Lester continue wrestling for another shot at an Olympic medal in Brazil.

“I haven’t talked too much with him about it, but I assume he’s not going to stay down at 66 kilos,” Fraser said. “I assume he’ll go up to 74 if he continues, which I’m not sure if he will or not. I don’t know. But I would guess he’s going to go up at least for a few years and then maybe decide he wants to come back down.

“It’s very difficult to keep that weight down there when you’re naturally bigger,” he added. “I think he thought that [66] was the place to be to win a gold medal, and so he gave it his all to get down there, and gave it his all today to try to do that. Unfortunately, for him and our country, it just didn’t seem like it was in the cards today.”

Lester said he did not know if he would continue wrestling for a shot at making Team USA for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

“We’ll see tomorrow, or the day after that, I don’t know,” he said. “The shoes are still on. We’ll see.”

Naval Base San Diego Hosts Earthquake Preparedness Fair

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Eddie Harrison, Navy Public Affairs Support Element West

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Naval Base San Diego hosted an Earthquake Preparedness Resource Fair, Aug. 6, to help prepare military members and their families in the event of an earthquake.

The fair, sponsored by Navy Region South West's Sustainable Solid Waste Program, featured 16 organizations with subject matter experts.

One organization gave attendees a sense of realism when an earthquake strikes.

"Here today is an earthquake simulator," said Jim Guerin, Regional Family Emergency Response coordinator. "Participants are able to come inside a living room setting and without notice, they begin shaking and experiencing the feeling of an 8.0 magnitude earthquake."

Guerin added that it is important that Sailors in the area understand that Navy Region Southwest is an earthquake prone area and that the simulator is just one way to be better prepared.

Representatives from San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) attended, demonstrating what happens with electricity and downed power lines after an earthquake has occurred. They showed how electricity can be conducted through a person's body and told participants how to avoid being shocked, which could ultimately save lives.

"I found that the SDG&E display was very informative," said Chief Quartermaster Michael Webster. "The electrical demonstration really opened my eyes to the dangers of electricity after an earthquake. I am currently the disaster preparedness officer at my command, and I encourage everyone to attend events like these, because we are not experts and we never really prepare enough."

Some of the other booths included the County of San Diego Office of Emergency, Armed Services Blood Program, Southwest Search Dogs and the American Red Cross.

"This fair sets you and your family up and helps you to be more secure," said Tony Gomes, work and family life consultant for the Fleet and Family Support Center. "You can never prepare for the earthquake itself, but you can be prepared for what happens after."

Gomes, an earthquake survivor, described his experience as if it had happened yesterday.

"It was 15 years ago and I was in my home," he said. "Earthquakes are something I never really thought about, then all of a sudden a magnitude of about a 7.5 hit. I can honestly say I thought the world was coming to an end. Everyone was running around, trees were falling, honestly it was one of the worst experiences in my life."

The fair gave families a chance to fill out an emergency plan, get some emergency kits and overall receive a better understanding of earthquakes and the effects that follow.

"When service members are deployed, their family is here in San Diego with their children, and in southern California unfortunately we are known for earthquakes," said Gomes. "The service member being thousands of miles away, the family should know what is going to happen. Whether it's a fire, flooding, or an earthquake, it's better to be prepared than to be hit by tragedy and not be able to know what to do and to also know your resources."

DOD Increases Hiring of People with Disabilities

By Terri Moon Cronk

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON  – The Defense Department’s hiring of wounded warriors and others with disabilities is on an uptick, the Pentagon’s director of disability programs said today.

Stephen M. King, whose office is part of diversity management and equal opportunity, spoke with American Forces Press Service about a recent Office of Personnel Management report that said 14 percent of the Defense Department’s civilian employees have disabilities, putting DOD in second place among cabinet-level agencies for disability hiring.

“There is a greater [applicant] pool, and more emphasis on hiring individuals with disabilities and wounded warriors through two executive orders in the last three years,” King said.

Veterans with disabilities bring values to DOD such as familiarity with military culture, proven leadership and the ability to enter the workforce and “perform on Day 1,” he said.

Additionally, hiring veterans and others with disabilities contributes to military readiness, King said. DOD will reap the benefits of those who have served by hiring them after their service, he added.

DOD and other agencies want to hire veterans with disabilities whether they were injured recently, have acquired a disability, or if the disability is service connected, King said.

“We want … those abilities in DOD regardless of how long ago you were a veteran,” he said.

“For any organization to be its best, you really have to take advantage of and value what everyone brings to the table: their background, knowledge, skills and abilities,” he said.

People with disabilities face unique challenges, King noted. “We need that type of problem-solving ability and skill in the workplace,” he said.

“It is awesome when you get to talk to someone who [wore] a uniform and tells you the difference that you’ve made as an organization by allowing [him] to continue to serve his country but in a different capacity,” King said.

The upward trend in DOD’s disability hiring stems from several initiatives and programs, King said.

“There is a renewed focus within DOD and the federal government on utilizing existing hiring flexibility, [such as] hiring individuals with disabilities noncompetitively,” he said.

Numerous hiring programs include the Hiring Heroes job fairs and the Veterans Hiring Initiative, which seeks out veterans and transitioning service members.

DOD also recruits young people with disabilities as they are about to graduate from more than 250 colleges and universities that participate in the Workforce Recruitment Program, which DOD co-sponsors with the Labor Department, King said.

The goal of the program is to create a database for federal agencies to meet their disability hiring targets, he said.

To further its goals, DOD also is working with human resources policies and advisers so those with disabilities have the opportunity to become integrated into development and leadership programs.

“We want to focus on all types of positions and grade levels … to be inclusive of individuals with all types of disabilities,” he said.

King’s office is working toward getting new employees to disclose their disability information so the department can accurately give them what they need to do their jobs, such as assisted technology.

Such technology runs the gamut, King said, from screen readers for the vision challenged to TTY machines for the deaf to braille keyboards and devices that help those with memory loss. Some wounded warriors have some memory loss due to traumatic brain injuries, he added.

“New technologies are being invented every single day,” King said. “When you look at what we’re capable of providing in the workplace, with the right assistance, it’s actually quite phenomenal, and it’s only going to get better.”

Refined Screening Tools Help Detect Concussions In Theater

By the Health.mil Staff

The Military Acute Concussion Evaluation, or MACE, is the Defense Department’s standard for clinical assessment of mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) in deployed settings. MACE is the most widely-used clinical interview tool for early detection of concussions, the most common form of TBI sustained in the military. MACE was redesigned this year, along with the “Concussion Management in Deployed Settings,” another critical tool used to help first-tier health care providers improve cognitive screenings and neurological evaluations in theater.

The first two questions on the MACE ask about details of the injury event and whether there was alteration of consciousness, loss of consciousness or post-traumatic amnesia. A combination of an injury event and one of the other conditions signifies a concussion has occurred, which requires continued screening. Doctors say it’s important to have these improved tools in the deployed setting since most combat medics are not medical doctors. These first responders benefit from having a decision tree type of guidance to aid in their assessments and to get the right type of help to the wounded.

You can learn more about the MACE improvements from Dr. Donald Marion, senior clinical consultant for the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC), a Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) center on DCoE’s blog. And, read more about TBI on health.mil.

Joint National Guard, Air Force Reserve team takes Gold Medal in NATO competition

By Army 1st Sgt. D. Keith Johnson

354th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

HOEVELTE, Denmark  - A few more Gold medals are coming home to the U.S., but they won’t all be from the Olympics in London.

 The Team U.S.A Military Men’s Team won Gold Medals in the Novice category at the NATO Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers’ Military Skills Competition held here. Thirty-five three-person teams from 14 countries participated. Out of 6000 possible points, the U.S.A team edged out the Silver Medal winners by 8.7 points.

Pennsylvania Air National Guard Staff Sgts. Matthew Stern and Mark Jones along with Air Force Reserve Maj. Brendon Ritz comprised the Novice Team. 

Ritz, is an operations officer with the Pacific Command J3, Jones, is an Infantry squad leader with Company B, 1st Battalion, 111th Infantry Regiment and Stern, is a recruiter with the Pennsylvania National Guard Recruiting Command.

For Ritz, it was about one thing. “Before we got here, our coaches thought we had a chance, but once we got here, it was about just doing your best. As Novices, we just wanted to come out here and not make mistakes.”

It was a very close meet, as explained by Jones.

“The competition really displayed a metaphor for life in that everything that you do, matters. We won only by a few points, which we figured roughly to be equivalent to 20 seconds in orienteering, half of a hand grenade toss, or one good round on the range. That's how close this battle for the gold was!”

Also, a U.S. female competitor won a Gold Medal in the International category. When a country brings more competitors than can form a three-person team, they are put into a pool and teams are created. The U.S. Team had two females put into that situation when a third U.S. female was unable to attend. Four International teams consisting of two males and one female were created.

Washington, D.C., National Guard Capt. Leala McCollum was a member of an International Team that won the Gold Medal for that category. McCollum broke a toe midway through and had to be replaced by another alternate, but her shooting and Combat Casualty Care scores were enough to help her team win the Gold. McCollum, from Arlington, Va., is a medevac pilot with the 121st Medical Company - Air Ambulance.

McCollum, Airman 1st Class Ziven Drake, and the two other females on the International teams were given Sportsmanship Awards from the Danish delegation. The teams changed right before the competition started, and they adapted and competed. Drake, is an F-16 crew chief with the 158th Fighter Wing of the Vermont Air National Guard.

The CIOR competition consists of a pentathlon with rifle and pistol marksmanship, land and water obstacle courses and a 10-15 kilometer orienteering course, as well as Combat Casualty Care, and a written Laws of Armed Conflict test. Team and individual medals are given for each event as well as overall.

One of the positives from the competition, something not able to be tabulated on a score card is the relationships developed with military members from other countries.

“The purpose of CIOR is to strengthen the alliance and build our partnerships with our NATO allies,” said U.S. Navy Reserve Cmdr. Grant Staats. “More than medaling, representing the U.S.A as leaders and professionals in this Partnership Program is what we aim to do. Achieving these goals will bring the strong finishes to us, every time.”

Staats is the commanding officer for the Joint Reserve Unit, Special Operations Command – Joint Capabilities, and has been involved with the U.S. Team since 1995, as a competitor for 12 years and officer in charge for the last five years.

Staats had high praise for his team.

“Success and failure are elements of life. Our competitors experienced both this year. But, each and every one of them displayed strong character, unending will, clear perspective, and a deep sense of honor,” he said. “Our partnering nations regularly approached me with compliments about the quite professionals we had on our team this year. I am extremely proud of the men and women we took to Denmark for the 2012 CIOR MilComp.”

The competitors also had kind words for the partnering nations.

“The competing countries were amazing,” said Jones. “Their amazing and sincere, admirable sportsmanship is something we should all strive for in life and is what this competition is all about.”

2011 Book of the Year

Col. (ret) Will Merrill’s book “9/11- Ordinary People: Extraordinary Heroes- NYC- The First Battle in the War against Terror!” has been selected as the 2011 Book of the year by Military Writers. (military-writers.com).

Col. Merrill said, “I feel honored to be the spokesman for so many heroic people and their families and friends.”

Col. Merrill conducted more than 60 interviews with individuals involved with the rescue efforts after the two planes crashed into the World Trade Center. Interviews include Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Congressman Peter T. King, who wrote the introduction, NYC Fire Commissioner Sal Cassano, two department chiefs of the Port Authority Police Department, the senior deputy chief of the New York City Police Department and many others to relate the chaos, danger and heartbreak they witnessed.

Through this collection of photographs and interviews, Merrill highlights the bravery and heroism displayed by firefighters, police officers and civilians on and following the events of September 11^th. Merrill also hopes that these unsung heroes get proper treatment for any physical or mental health ailments trigged by that day, such as lung cancer and post-traumatic stress disorder. Most importantly, he hopes that America and Americans will remain on alert for terrorist activity so that future tragedies are prevented. “Ordinary People: Extraordinary Heroes” is available for sale online at Amazon.com and other channels. An eBook version is available on Amazon’s Kindle, Apple’s iBook and Barnes and Noble Nook.  More information about the book is available here:

http://www.military-writers.com/army/will_merrill.html

About the Author:

Colonel Will G. Merrill Jr., graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1958. He served for 31 years in the U.S. Army, spending 11 years overseas in Germany, Vietnam, Korea and Greece, and has received many awards and recognition over the course of a distinguished military career. He and his wife, Barbara, now reside in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.