Air Force Cadet 2nd Class Kendra Middleton competes in long jump during the holiday track and field meet at the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Cadet Field House in Colorado Springs, Colo., Dec. 5, 2020.
Tuesday, December 08, 2020
Soldier Salute
Army Reserve Capt. Ymara Torres-Laboy salutes while rehearsing for a change of command ceremony at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, Dec. 4, 2020.
Ocean Ops
Navy Capt. John Kurtz copilots a Marine Corps UH-1Y Venom while conducting routine operations over the Pacific Ocean, Nov. 23, 2020.
Readout of Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher C. Miller’s Meeting with Philippines Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana and Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodore Locsin
Dec. 8, 2020
Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher C. Miller met with Philippines Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana and Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodore Locsin in Manila today. Secretary Miller underscored the importance of the alliance and the value the U.S.-Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement brings to both countries. The Secretaries also discussed opportunities for deepening bilateral defense cooperation and advancing a shared interest in a free and open South China Sea and a rules-based international order.
Secretary Miller also participated in a capabilities display of recently-delivered U.S. sniper and counter-improvised explosive device (IED) equipment.
Medical Group Answers Short-Notice Call to Battle COVID-19
Dec. 8, 2020 |
Instead of Thanksgiving holiday eats and shopping, twenty-one 96th
Medical Group airmen deployed in support of stateside COVID-19
operations.
The deployment to North Dakota, a current COVID-19 death-rate hotspot, came with short notice to say the least, at only four days.
"A short notice CONUS deployment tasking in support of the Northcom combatant commander to fight a pandemic is unprecedented for this medical group," Air Force Col. Matthew Hanson, 96th MDG commander, said.
As soon as the tasking came down, the deployers and their readiness teams came together to meet the requirement, prepare themselves to go and mitigate the personnel gaps left behind, according to Air Force Col. Michelle Anton, 96th Healthcare Operations Squadron.
During those few days, the nurses and their teams tackled a host of variables and obstacles that came up. Things like rapid medical clearances, last minute personnel swaps, unexpected reporting requirements, life support training classes and procurement of sub-zero parkas were just a few of the issues the teams encountered and overcame.
They were split into two flights leaving Eglin heading north. Air Force Capt. Ronald Golemboski, a 96th HCOS nurse, was on the first flight. Golemboski, who'd deployed to combat zones in previous deployments, said this particular mission just felt different.
"This time, we can't shoot or even see the enemy. We will put on our PPE [personal protective equipment] and do our best," the captain said.
Air Force Capt. Rachael Auger, a 96th HCOS pediatric nurse, was one of 12 airmen on the later flight. She said she hoped the team would get information quickly once they arrived, so they could get settled and be ready to begin the mission.
The nurses will be divided by their specialty. The critical care nurses will be spread out across the state's larger city hospitals, while the clinical nurses will move to help the rural locations.
These airmen bound for North Dakota were the second COVID-19 tasking in as many weeks with a smaller group deploying to El Paso, Texas.
"I'm so proud of the battle-tested team of highly skilled medical professionals caring for the people of Texas and North Dakota," Hanson said. "They have answered their nation's call and are ready and equipped to fight this new enemy that threatens the health and safety of all Americans."
DOD to Induct New Partners Into Military Spouse Employment Partnership
Dec. 8, 2020
The Department of Defense Military Spouse Employment Partnership will welcome 86 new partners during a virtual ceremony at noon EST on December 9. This brings the number of companies and organizations that have committed to offering career opportunities to military spouses to 500.
Each of the employers who make up the partnership have pledged to recruit, hire, promote and retain military spouses. MSEP employers have hired more than 175,000 military spouses since the launch of the partnership in 2011.
MSEP, part of DOD’s broader Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program, is a targeted recruitment and employment solution, creating employment connections that provide companies with direct access to military spouses seeking career opportunities, and spouses with direct access to employers who are actively recruiting.
“Military spouses are well educated and highly qualified for a range of careers, but because of the frequent relocations that are part of military life, they face a 22% unemployment rate and a 26% wage gap compared to their civilian counterparts,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy Kim Joiner. “With additional challenges caused by the coronavirus, it’s gratifying to see so many employers join MSEP and commit to military spouses, which in turn contributes to the health and vitality of our total force.”
The theme of this year’s virtual event, “Working Through Change: Being Agile in an Evolving Workplace,” reflects the challenges and opportunities of the COVID-19 pandemic. Breakout sessions will address such topics as recruiting in the post-COVID environment, managing employee stress and telework.
The opening session will include remarks by Second Lady Karen Pence, Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, and Mrs. Kate Miller. Three induction ceremonies will be held throughout the day – hosted by Mrs. Hollyanne Milley, spouse of Gen. Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Mrs. Maria McConville, spouse of Gen. James McConville, Chief of Staff of the Army; and Mrs. Mollie Raymond, spouse of Gen. John “Jay” Raymond, Chief of Operations, U.S. Space Force.
The opening session will be livestreamed on the Military OneSource Facebook page, and individual induction ceremonies will be livestreamed on the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities Facebook page at 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. EST.
About Military Community and Family Policy
Military Community and Family Policy is directly responsible for establishing and overseeing quality-of-life policies and programs that help our guardians of country, their families, and survivors be well and mission-ready. Military OneSource is the gateway to programs and services that support the everyday needs of the 5.2 million service members and immediate family members of the military community. These Department of Defense services can be accessed 24/7/365 around the world.
About Spouse Education and Career Opportunities
The Defense Department established the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program to provide education and career guidance to military spouses worldwide, offering free comprehensive resources and tools related to career exploration, education, training and licensing, employment readiness and career connections. This program also offers free career coaching services six days a week.
About Military OneSource
Military OneSource is a DOD-funded program that is both a call center and a website providing comprehensive information, resources and assistance on every aspect of military life. Service members and the families of active duty, National Guard and reserve (regardless of activation status), Coast Guard members when activated for the Navy, DOD expeditionary civilians, and survivors are eligible for Military OneSource services, which are available worldwide 24 hours a day, seven days a week, free to the user.
About the My Military OneSource app
The My Military OneSource app is helping to transform the military community’s access to quality of life programs and services – better connecting people to the resources they need to regenerate, connect, be well, and thrive. DOD designed the app to offer users a more personalized experience with Military OneSource, based on their profile selections, search activity, and the ability to mark favorite content within the app environment. Download the My Military OneSource mobile app for free on Google Play or Apple’s App Store.
Sports Heroes Who Served: Boxers and Patriots
Dec. 8, 2020 | , DOD News
Sports Heroes Who Served is a series that highlights the accomplishments of athletes who served in the U.S. military.
During World War II, Brooklyn, New York, was home to the Coast Guard's Manhattan Beach Training Station, where recruits were sent for basic training.
The physical education regimen at Manhattan Beach was first class, featuring professional instructors in boxing, wrestling, track and field and judo.
Heading the powerhouse boxing program was Coast Guard Cmdr. Jack Dempsey, who was the world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926.
There were a number of champion boxers under Dempsey's tutelage, some of whom also served as instructors for the trainees. Among them was Lew Jenkins, who joined the Coast Guard in December 1942, after serving briefly in the Army.
Jenkins participated in the North Africa, Sicilian and Italian campaigns in 1943. At the time, the Coast Guard operated landing craft and other vessels used for amphibious assaults and transport. Jenkins' vessel was Tank Landing Ship-17.
He manned the ship's guns, including a 20 mm that he used to shoot at attacking German fighter aircraft Messerschmitt-109s and Junker-88s.
By April 1944, Jenkins was stationed in England. Around that time, his brother Pete, an amateur boxer, also joined the Coast Guard and was stationed near Long Beach, California.
Jenkins participated in the June 6, 1944, D-Day landings on the beaches of Normandy, France, still aboard LST-17, which was completely manned by Coast Guardsmen. LST-17 supported the landings of British and Canadian troops on Gold Beach during the initial days of the invasion.
Of all the landings, Jenkins later said that the one at Salerno, Italy, was the most difficult. "Salerno beachhead was the hardest to take because the Germans had stuff to fight with."
By May 1945, Jenkins had returned stateside, serving with the Coast Guard in Oakland, California, where he was arrested after a fight in a bar.
In June 1945, he was assigned to a Coast Guard unit in Hawaii. He was honorably discharged from the Coast Guard separations station in New Orleans, Louisiana, Oct. 27, 1945. That night he was robbed of his $60 wristwatch and $100 while sleeping at a bus station waiting to go home.
Another champion fighter who served in the Coast Guard was Luigi Giuseppe d'Ambrosio, aka Lou Ambers, the World Lightweight boxing champion from most of 1936 to 1940.
On May 10, 1940, Ambers defended his title against Jenkins. Jenkins scored an upset when he knocked out Ambers in the third round at New York's Madison Square Garden. On Feb. 28, 1941, Ambers fought a rematch with Jenkins but he again went down in defeat. It was around that time that Ambers decided to join the Coast Guard.
While Jenkins deployed to the European Theater, Ambers, after having enlisted in the Coast Guard, Feb. 19, 1942, served in Manhattan Beach as a boxing and physical fitness instructor.
With him, serving in the Coast Guard at Manhattan Beach, was Ambers' cousin, Marty Servo, another fighter, who evened the score in some way for Ambers. Servo fought Jenkins on Feb. 17, 1942, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Servo won a 10-round decision as Ambers watched from ringside.
There was a lot of patriotism that came from the boxing ring, too. On June 15, 1944, Ambers auctioned his boxing gloves, worn when he regained the world lightweight boxing championship from Henry Armstrong in 1939. The gloves fetched $31,000 at a war bond rally in Schenectady, New York.
Ambers was honorably discharged from the Coast Guard as a chief petty officer at the Brooklyn separations center, Aug. 30, 1945.
Another Coast Guard boxer, likely also trained by Dempsey, was Gustav "Gus" George Lesnevich who was the World Light Heavyweight champion in 1941. He held that title for seven years. He also served in the Coast Guard during the war, enlisting on Feb. 27, 1942.
After a number of stateside assignments, he served in England in 1944, then in 1945, he served in New Guinea, New Caledonia, and then became the physical fitness director at a base on the island of Leyte in the Philippines. He was honorably discharged on Oct. 8, 1945.
Walter, Lesnevich's brother, served as a Merchant Marine engineer. His ship was torpedoed in the North Atlantic in late fall of 1942 and he was lost at sea.
Whatever the attraction between champion fighters and the open sea remains a mystery. What's certain is that sportsmanship and patriotism were partners in World War II.
Coffee Prep
Navy Seaman Landsay Depradines prepares coffee aboard the USS Essex in the Pacific Ocean, Dec. 4, 2020.
Training Trio
Army paratroopers participate in an exercise while supporting Operation Inherent Resolve in northeast Syria, Dec. 3, 2020.
Family Fun
Family members of soldiers learn about airframes and weapon systems at Fort Riley, Kan., Dec. 5, 2020. Families were encouraged to be hands-on with the static displays.
Memorial Lei
World War II veteran Wendel Neuman places a lei in the shrine room of the USS Arizona Memorial as part of a Pearl Harbor Day ceremony in Honolulu, Dec. 7, 2020.
Toys for Tots
Marines pick up boxes of toys purchased by the Toys for Tots program and those donated by Navy Exchange customers in support of the program in Honolulu, Dec. 7, 2020.
Aircraft Action
An airman performs maintenance on an F-16C Fighting Falcon at King Faisal Air Base, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 1, 2020.
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