Soldiers conduct a joint forcible entry operation as part of an exercise at Donnelly Training Area, Alaska, Sept. 14, 2020. Military forces in the Pacific theater work together across vast distances to bolster regional safety and stability.
Tuesday, September 15, 2020
Lake Load
A Washington Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopter gathers water in a bucket to help battle a wildfire near Bonney Lake, Wash., Sept 9, 2020.
Training Crew
Airmen participate in a training scenario at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 4, 2020.
Promotion Pin
Fellow sailors pin Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Rochell Marascosayles with her new rank during a meritorious advancement promotion ceremony aboard the USS Tripoli in the Pacific Ocean, Sept. 11, 2020.
Freefall Jump
A service member jumps out of an Air Force C-130J Hercules during a military freefall jumpmaster course over Aviano Air Base, Italy, Sept. 11, 2020.
Vibrant Response
Air Force Master Sgt. Lakisha DeJesus attaches a power supply to a satellite communication terminal in Williamsburg, Va., Sept. 15, 2020, during Vibrant Response, a weeklong exercise to sustain unit readiness.
Sally Prep
Mississippi Army National Guardsmen unload supplies at Camp Shelby Joint Force Training Center near Hattiesburg, Miss., in preparation to respond to Hurricane Sally, Sept. 15,2020. The Mississippi National Guard is prepared to conduct civil support operations including search and rescue and debris removal, to support local and state authorities.
Justice Department Settles With Texas Based Furniture and Appliances Chain for Charging Servicemembers Excess Interest
The Justice Department reached an agreement today with Conn Credit I, LP, Conn Appliances, Inc. and Conn’s, Inc. (Conn’s), to resolve allegations that they violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by charging at least 184 servicemembers excess interest on their purchases.
Conn’s, a furniture, mattress, electronics, and appliance store chain headquartered in the Woodlands, Texas, has retail stores in over 130 locations in at least 14 states. This is the Justice Department’s first SCRA case against a consumer retail store.
The SCRA provides financial and housing protections and benefits to military members as they enter active duty. One of the SCRA’s benefits requires creditors to reduce the interest rate on financial obligations, including retail installment contracts, to six percent if certain conditions are met. Under the agreement, Conn’s must hire an independent consultant, who will determine if any previously unidentified servicemembers were overcharged interest. Conn’s must refund all overcharged interest that it has not already refunded and pay an additional $500 to each affected servicemember. Conn’s must also make a $50,000 payment to the United States.
The agreement, which is subject to court approval, resolves a suit filed today by the Department of Justice in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
“Servicemembers sacrifice their liberty and at times their lives to protect the United States and our people, and the Department of Justice is determined to ensure that they receive all the benefits and rights that Congress provided to them under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division. “We applaud Conn’s for cooperating with our investigation and conducting a self-audit to determine the scope of the problem, for working with the department to comply with the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, and for agreeing to compensate all the affected servicemembers.”
“It is an honor to protect the legal rights of the members of our armed forces who routinely sacrifice so much for our country,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick of the Southern District of Texas. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to enforcing the SCRA and will continue to hold companies who violate it accountable.”
The department launched its investigation after receiving a referral from the U.S. Army Staff Judge Advocate at the Oklahoma National Guard Joint Force Headquarters. Upon receiving notice of the department’s investigation, Conn’s conducted a self-audit and found that, between March 2014 and May 2019, in 184 of the 322 accounts where servicemembers had requested the six percent interest rate cap, Conn’s had not granted the full benefit as required by the SCRA. Conn’s voluntarily disclosed these findings to the department and sent remediation checks and credited the accounts of the identified servicemembers.
The department’s enforcement of the SCRA is conducted by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section and U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the country. Since 2011, the department has obtained over $474 million in monetary relief for over 120,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. For more information about the department’s SCRA enforcement efforts, please visit www.servicemembers.gov.
Servicemembers and their dependents who believe that their rights under SCRA have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations may be found at legalassistance.law.af.mil/.
Food Bank
Members assigned to the 110th Wing, Battle Creek Air National Guard Base, Mich., now part of the Michigan National Guard COVID-19 Joint Task Force, work with the Food Bank of South Michigan, labeling, filling and weighing bags of donated granola for local food pantries in Battle Creek, Mich., Sept. 11, 2020. The Food Bank warehouse serves eight counties consisting of 285 food pantries in southern Michigan. Since March, the Michigan National Guard teams have supported food banks across Michigan, distributing more than 7 million pounds of food to local communities.
All Aboard
Soldiers assigned to the Urban Augmentation Medical Task Force 627th, Fort Carson, Colo., board an aircraft home at Joint Base San Antonio-Kelly Field, Texas, Sept. 8, 2020. The soldiers recently supported the FEMA led, Department of Defense COVID-19 response operations. U.S. Northern Command, through U.S. Army North, remains committed to providing flexible Defense Department support to the Federal Emergency Management Agency in support of the whole-of-nation COVID-19 response.
Appreciation Ceremony
Pantry Work
Members assigned to the 110th Wing, Battle Creek Air National Guard Base, Mich., now part of the Michigan National Guard COVID-19 Joint Task Force, work with the Food Bank of South Michigan, labeling, filling and weighing bags of donated granola for local food pantries in Battle Creek, Mich., Sept. 11, 2020. The Food Bank warehouse serves eight counties consisting of 285 food pantries in southern Michigan. Since March, the Michigan National Guard teams have supported food banks across Michigan, distributing more than 7 million pounds of food to local communities.
Ice Distribution
Louisiana Army National Guardsman Pfc. Reion Jones hauls ice to a citizen’s vehicle while working at a distribution site following Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles, La., Sept. 4, 2020.
Indian and U.S. Defense Delegations Conduct Virtual Discussion of Defense Cooperation
Sept. 15, 2020
The 10th Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) Group Meeting was held virtually on Sept. 15, 2020. The meeting was co-chaired by Mr. Raj Kumar, Secretary, Defence Production, from the Indian Ministry of Defence, and Ms. Ellen M. Lord, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, from the U.S. Department of Defense. DTTI Group Meetings are normally held twice a year, alternating between India and the United States. This time, the meeting was held via video conference on account of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The aim of the DTTI Group is to bring sustained leadership focus to the bilateral defense trade relationship and create opportunities for co-production and co-development of defense equipment. Four joint working groups focused on land, naval, air and aircraft carrier technologies have been established under DTTI to promote mutually-agreed projects within their domains. The groups reported to the co-chairs on ongoing activities and collaborative opportunities, including a number of near-term projects targeted for completion on priority.
As evidence of their commitment to demonstrating the success of DTTI, the co-chairs signed a Statement of Intent (SOI) that declared “to strengthen our dialogue on defense technology cooperation by pursuing detailed planning and making measurable progress” on several specific DTTI projects.
The co-chairs were also pleased to note that since the last DTTI Group meeting in October 2019, a DTTI Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the identification and development of cooperative projects under DTTI has been completed. The SOP will serve as the framework for DTTI and allow both sides to reach and document a mutual understanding on how to define and achieve success. A publically releasable extract of key elements of the SOP was also published in July as the DTTI Initial Guidance for Industry, and distributed through Indian and U.S. industry associations.
Further efforts to encourage U.S. and Indian industry to cooperatively develop next-generation technologies under the DTTI Group were highlighted by the 1st DTTI Industry Collaboration Forum (DICF), which took place virtually on Sept. 10, 2020. The DICF was convened by Mr. Sanjay Jaju, Joint Secretary (Defence Industries Production), Mr. Michael Vaccaro, Director, International Armaments Cooperation, and Ms. Amy Murray, Director, Small Business Programs. This forum offers an opportunity for Indian and U.S. industry to be directly involved in DTTI and facilitates dialogue between government and industry on issues that impact industrial collaboration. The results of the discussion were briefed to the DTTI Group co-chairs.
Close Quarters
An Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle receives fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker over Southwest Asia, Sept. 12, 2020.
Cool Controller
Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Andrew Thames performs duties as a surface radar controller in the combat information center aboard the guided missile cruiser USS Antietam in the Philippine Sea, Sept. 12, 2020.
9/11 Remembrance
Navy Seaman Ella Koudaya rings two bells during a 9/11 remembrance ceremony on the main deck of the USS Blue Ridge in Yokosuka, Japan, Sept. 11, 2020.
Former BAMC COVID-19 Patient Returns as Convalescent Plasma Donor
Sept. 15, 2020 | , Brooke Army Medical Center
Thefety Tibbs, who was among the first COVID-19 patients treated at Brooke Army Medical Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, is now among the first of BAMC's former patients to donate convalescent plasma, which is currently being explored as a potential treatment for COVID-19.
Tibbs said the evening of April 10, 2020, he wasn't feeling well. He had already taken medicine for a headache, but decided to go to the emergency room due to relentless sinus pressure. After receiving x-rays and an initial diagnosis of pneumonia, the staff completed a swab culture. Shortly after, he was informed that he had tested positive for COVID-19. He was quickly moved to a COVID-specific ward.
"It was a challenge from then on," Tibbs said. "I really didn't know what to expect. You see it on the news, and you see people dying. And then they took care of me. I was worried that first night, but they took care of me all the way through."
He made a full recovery and was released 10 days after he had been admitted. He received a request about two weeks later to donate convalescent plasma. After some internal debate, he decided to accept the request.
BAMC continues to seek donations of convalescent plasma from eligible donors. The donations are specifically for the center's patients, and the program is being led by the Armed Services Blood Program. The science behind the potential treatment involves how the body reacts to the virus and speeds up the recovery.
When someone contracts a virus, that person's immune system creates antibodies to fight the virus. For people who successfully fight a virus, their plasma will now contain infection-fighting antibodies called "convalescent plasma." Thus, patients who have fully recovered from COVID-19 can donate their plasma as a potential treatment for others who are now fighting the same virus.
Anyone who chooses to donate convalescent plasma goes through the same process as someone who donates regular plasma, but there are some extra requirements for donors to be eligible to donate convalescent plasma. Donors must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 116 lbs. and be in good general health. Additionally, to donate convalescent plasma, volunteers must have already had COVID-19 and be fully recovered for at least 14 days. This means donors must be symptom-free for the full two weeks before they will be considered for donation, and all donations are screened for COVID-19 antibodies.
"All potential CCP donors must be prescreened before I can set them up for an appointment," said Mark Salcedo, the blood donor recruiter for the JBSA Fort Sam Houston Armed Services Blood Program. "If the donor is prescreen eligible, I'll forward to our medical director for his review. He reviews their medical history and either approves or disapproves their donation. Once approved, I can schedule them for a plasma appointment. The staff does a lot on the front end of a CCP donation to protect the donor's health and the safety of the military's blood supply."
There are two ways eligible donors can give convalescent plasma. The first is by donating whole blood. This yields one dose of convalescent plasma. The process takes about 15 minutes, and donors can return to donate every 56 days. The second is by donating plasma. This yields about three to four doses of convalescent plasma. The donation takes about 45 minutes. For their safety, the staff at the Akeroyd Blood Donor Center require a minimum of 28 days between convalescent plasma donations.
"I wanted to try and help somebody else who has the virus," Tibbs said. "It was very efficient, so I decided to keep on going in. The team is excellent. They made me feel very comfortable."
Salcedo said there are currently about 150 donors in their system, but they are still looking for more. Anyone who is interested, and eligible, can donate at the Akeroyd Blood Donor Center at 1240 Harney Rd. on JBSA Fort Sam Houston. Interested donors can contact Mark Salcedo at 210-295-4655 or 210-295-4109. For more on the Armed Services Blood Program, click here.
Sally at Sunset
The Air Force Reserve 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron Hurricane Hunters fly into Hurricane Sally at sunset, Sept. 13, 2020. The Hurricane Hunters fly through tropical systems to gather weather data which is provided to the National Hurricane Center to update storm forecast warnings.
Horse Host
Army Spc. Matthew Jensma helps families as they line up for a chance to pet horses during a carnival-themed family readiness group event at Fort Carson, Colo., Sept. 10, 2020.
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