Air Force Staff Sgt. Ross Carpenter, a 436th Security Forces Squadron military working dog handler, greets Karlo before they conduct a patrol shift at Dover Air Force Base, Del., Dec. 28, 2020.
Wednesday, January 06, 2021
Patch Pride
Col. Richard Bourquin, Space Delta 4 commander, has his Air Force Weapons School graduate patch placed on his Space Force uniform by his son at Buckley Air Force Base, Colo., Jan 5, 2021.
Eagle Inspection
Air Force Staff Sgt. Brandon Thomas-Volkov inspects the underside of an F-15E Strike Eagle at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, Jan. 5, 2021.
Branching Out
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Christopher Mauney clears ocean debris from Numazu Beach Training Area in Shizuoka, Japan, Dec. 30, 2020. Service members cleared trash and ocean debris from the beach, which is used by joint U.S. forces and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force for air, ground and amphibious training.
Update to Statement by Jonathan Hoffman, Chief Pentagon Spokesman, on D.C. Guard Mobilization
Jan. 6, 2021
"Earlier this week, Mayor Bowser requested approximately 340 D.C. National Guardsmen to assist D.C. police in preparation for possible protests today. That request was approved. Today, the mayor requested the full activation of the D.C. Guard to support local and federal law enforcement as they respond to the situation at the Capitol. That request was approved. There have been no other requests from the D.C. government."
Lightning Looks
A Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II approaches an Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker for refueling during Operation Octave Quartz in Africa, Jan. 1, 2020.
World War II Vet, POW Who Endured 'Hell Ship,' Gets CIB, Promotion, POW Medal
Jan. 6, 2021
|
, DOD News
An Army veteran who served in the Pacific theater in World War II was finally recognized for his courage in a ceremony on Jan. 4.
"Courage means to me that when the time came, that you were called upon to do the right thing, you did it," said Dan Crowley.
Crowley was awarded a Prisoner of War medal and an Army Combat Infantryman Badge; he was also promoted to sergeant.
At an Air National Guard hangar in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, Gregory J. Slavonic, who is performing the duties of the Navy undersecretary, presented Crowley with the long-delayed honors and recognition.
"I have to say that to be able to do this today is a rare and humbling opportunity for me as the undersecretary of the Navy — to be able to recognize Dan for his many sacrifices and accomplishments," Slavonic said. "He truly represents members of the greatest generation, who did so much but asked so little from their country. The valor and professionalism demonstrated by you, Dan, has earned you a permanent place in the heart of every American."
A Connecticut native, Crowley joined the Army Air Corps in October 1940 at the age of 18. For his first duty assignment, Crowley was assigned to an aircraft unit on Nichols Field near Manila, the capital of the Philippines. He arrived there in March 1941. At the time, the U.S. was not involved in the world war that had ravaged so many other nations. But after being on station in the Philippines for just nine months, things changed dramatically.
On Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The U.S. declared war on Japan the same day. The following day, the Japanese bombed the Philippines, as well, and they eventually made their way to Nichols Field where Crowley was assigned.
Crowley wasn't trained in combat arms, but when the bombs started falling, he and other soldiers had to act.
"Dan and his unit participated in an improvised air defense at this location, welding antiquated [British machine guns] together to form a single, more powerful gun," Slavonic said.
The Japanese raid at Nichols Field destroyed all the hangars, most of the aircraft, and other infrastructure. While Crowley and others worked to defend the airfield against the Japanese attacks, their efforts ultimately proved unsuccessful.
On Dec, 24, 1941 — about 15 days after the Japanese bombed Nichols Field — Crowley and others sailed about 25 miles across Manila Bay to the Bataan Peninsula in the dark of night, leaving their former home abandoned.
"The Japanese controlled the air over the Philippines, [and] completely eliminated the U.S. Far East Air Force as an effective defense of Asia," Slavonic said. "The Philippines now had to rely solely on its ground forces, which at the time had no lines of supply nor escape."
On the Bataan Peninsula, the fighting continued. The soldiers from Nichols Field — including Crowley — became part of the U.S. Army's Provisional Air Corps Infantry Regiment. The regiment was joined in their efforts by the Philippine Scouts.
He truly represents members of the greatest generation, who did
so much but asked so little from their country. The valor and
professionalism demonstrated by you, Dan, has earned you a permanent
place in the heart of every American.''
Gregory J. Slavonic, performing the duties of the Navy undersecretary
"[They] worked hand-in-hand to fend off three amphibious landings by the Japanese on the west coast of Bataan in the Battle of the Points," Slavonic said. "Imagine the courage and determination it required for Dan to stay alive, yet remain engaged in these assaults."
After three and a half months of fighting, it was apparent the Japanese were going to prevail at Bataan. It was then, on April 9, 1942, the American leadership on the peninsula opted to surrender in order to prevent further casualties — something that had never before happened. As part of the surrender, they ordered troops to move south on the peninsula and congregate there in Mariveles.
While the U.S. forces had been ordered to surrender, Crowley wasn't in agreement with his leadership.
"The men did not surrender, either on Bataan or on Corregidor," Crowley said. "They were surrendered by their commanding officers to prevent a massacre, which was threatened by the Japanese commander."
Instead of surrendering, Crowley and others made other plans to escape the clutches of the Japanese.
"Refusing to become prisoners, he and a number soldiers and sailors hid among the rocks in the breakwater near the shore, and, at nightfall, they made their way through the three miles of shark-infested waters, swimming to Corregidor and clinging to lifeboats or debris from the various ships that were bombed or scuttled," Slavonic said.
On Corregidor island, just off the southern tip of the Bataan Peninsula, Crowley and others were met by a Marine Corps unit — the 4th Marines Regimental Reserves. Crowley and the others who had escaped Bataan fought alongside Marines to keep Corregidor from falling into the hands of the Japanese.
"These Marines fought a dangerous and desperate shore defense until Corregidor fell on May 6, 1942," Slavonic said. "Dan, along with nearly 1,200 other POWs, were held at the 92nd Garage Area on Corregidor, an exposed beach with little water or food and no sanitation."
By the end of the month, Crowley and others were taken by boat from Corregidor to Manila where they were paraded through the city as part of the "March of Shame" on May 25, 1942. Eventually, he was housed as a POW at Camp Cabanatuan.
"To escape the unspeakable conditions of the camp, Dan volunteered to work the airstrip in Palawan Island where he and other laborers were given only hand tools to carve out the runway for the enemy," Slavonic said.
On Palawan Island, Crowley worked for nearly 18 months to build a runway for the Japanese. He was eventually returned to Manila in February 1944, but not everyone who'd gone to Palawan Island was returned.
"[The Japanese] burned alive a hundred-plus Americans on the island of Palawan," Crowley said. "The Japanese proved their threat of massacre was not an empty threat. They did proceed to murder about 150 Americans by burning [them] alive with gasoline. They forced them to dig a long ditch ... they were forced into it, and then [the Japanese] poured gasoline on them and the guards ... they ignited it with torches. Some men actually survived, so we have eyewitness accounts to it."
Back in Manila, Crowley had escaped that death sentence, but the Japanese had other plans for him. To support the Japanese war effort, he was to mine copper as a slave laborer. In March 1944, the Japanese put him on a boat bound for Japan.
"[Dan survived] a hellish transit that would last for weeks, ultimately arriving in Japan," Slavonic said. "The stories of what transpired on those 'hell ships,' have driven many sailors, as Dan has said, to have all sorts of nightmares and post-traumatic stress disorder. Ultimately, Dan would spend three-and-a-half years as a prisoner of war, enduring the most unspeakable tortures, and witnessing many of his closest friends suffer the most inhumane murders of the war."
On Aug. 6, 1945, the U.S. detonated a nuclear weapon over the city of Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later, the U.S. detonated another weapon over the city of Nagasaki. On Sept. 2, 1944, the Japanese signed documents of surrender aboard the USS Missouri. Just two days later, Crowley was liberated. After spending some time in an American hospital, he was able to return home to his family in Connecticut.
Crowley was honorably discharged from the Army in April 1946; however, Army records show he had been promoted to sergeant in October 1945, but Crowley never learned of that promotion.
On Monday, Crowley finally received the chevrons of an Army sergeant — bringing him into the ranks of the noncommissioned officer corps. Recognizing the three and a half years he spent as a prisoner of war at Corregidor, Manila, Palawan and Japan, he was awarded a POW medal. And, finally, in recognition of the armed combat he participated in at Nichols Field on Bataan and on Corregidor, he was given the Army's Combat Infantryman Badge.
"As every generation learns, freedom is not free," Slavonic said. "This is Dan's story. Many others like it remind other service members of the dedication and service displayed by the greatest generation. We have an obligation to remember these brave men and women who fought so hard and expected so little from their nation."
Guard Support
Arizona National Guard airmen and soldiers fill bags with groceries to be distributed to local citizens at a food bank in Tucson, Ariz., Jan. 5, 2021. More than 650 Arizona National Guardsmen continue to assist at vaccination sites, testing locations and food banks throughout the state.
Vaccination Prep
A technician loads a syringe with the COVID-19 vaccine for inoculating personnel at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, Jan. 5, 2021. Officials at the base are currently vaccinating health care providers, support staff, emergency services and public safety personnel.
Conveyor Delivery
Two sailors use an ultraviolet conveyor to disinfect a repaired piece of piping before delivering it to a ship in Norfolk, Va., Dec. 29, 2020. The conveyor is a prototype built by the Naval Sea Systems Command’s COVID-19 Rapid Response Team organized to identify technologies and methods to sanitize surfaces and prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Justice Department Applauds the Passage and Enactment of the Servicemembers and Veterans Initiative Act of 2020
Bill establishes the Servicemembers and Veterans Initiative within the Civil Rights Division
On Jan. 5, 2021, President Donald J. Trump signed H.R. 8354, the Servicemembers and Veterans Initiative Act of 2020, a bill to permanently establish the Servicemembers and Veterans Initiative, or “SVI”, within the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.
SVI’s mission is to support the department in its efforts to protect those who protect us all. The SVI is a proven and effective vehicle for coordinating the department’s servicemember-related litigation efforts as well as delivering training, technical assistance, and other support to Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs), servicemembers, veterans, and their families.
“We applaud both houses of Congress for their bipartisan action to recognize the important work that is being done within the Civil Rights Division and codify the role of the Servicemembers and Veterans Initiative within our organization,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division has been at the forefront of litigation and outreach intended to ensure that servicemembers, veterans and their families do not have to bear undue burdens caused by civil rights violations as a result of their military service.”
SVI coordinates with Department of Justice components and federal agencies to build a comprehensive legal support and protection network focused on serving servicemembers, veterans, and their families. The Civil Rights Division is the Department of Justice component that enforces the majority of servicemember-related statutes, including: the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The initiative builds upon this critical enforcement work, as well as the work of other department components that serve the military community, by sharing information, identifying servicemember and veteran needs, and coordinating the distribution of resources. The SVI also coordinates its training programs with the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch to investigate and prosecute reported fraud targeting servicemember and veterans. The SVI also regularly liaises with Department of Defense, the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Labor, as well as nonprofits, professional associations, and law school clinics dedicated to serving our servicemember and veteran communities.
The Department of Justice, the Civil Rights Division, and the SVI are dedicated to its responsibilities to assist servicemembers and veterans. Since January 2017, the division has filed 23 SCRA complaints and entered into 21 consent decrees and settlement agreements providing $11 million in compensation to over 2,000 servicemembers, in addition to civil penalties. The division filed more SCRA lawsuits in fiscal year 2020 (eight) than in any prior fiscal year. Since the division assumed USERRA enforcement authority in 2004, it has filed 109 USERRA employment-related lawsuits and has favorably resolved 200 USERRA complaints either through consent decrees obtained in those suits or through facilitated private settlements. Since January 2017, the division has filed 10 complaints and resolved 34 claims through consent decree or settlement and has secured compensation to improperly reemployed or terminated servicemembers. Since UOCAVA was enacted in 1986, the division has filed over 50 lawsuits to enforce its terms. The division also has achieved many resolutions that did not require litigation to obtain the needed remedial actions by state officials. The division also has filed amicus briefs in litigation regarding UOCAVA to ensure that eligible military and overseas voters would have sufficient time to vote. Our partners in the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch have also had success in their work. For example, in August 2019 the branch indicted five individuals for coordinating a million-dollar scheme to target thousands of servicemembers and veterans.
In just the past year, SVI has organized multi-day training programs for AUSAs in order to create a nationwide network of enforcement network. SVI has also conducted over 50 trainings, presentations and other events directly to servicemembers and Judge Advocates since 2018, including 18 virtual trainings since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. SVI has also engaged in legislative and policy changes impacting servicemembers.
As a result of Congress’s action, and President Trump’s support, the important work of the SVI can continue as an integral part of the Civil Rights Division’s enforcement and outreach portfolio. The civil rights of our servicemembers, veterans, and their families are of utmost importance to the Civil Rights Division and the codification of the SVI’s role in our organization ensures our continued efforts to protect those who sacrifice so much to protect all of us.
Ramstein Airmen Receive Initial COVID-19 Vaccine
Jan. 6, 2021 | , 86th Airlift Wing
First responders and select medical personnel received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, Jan. 4, 2021, at Ramstein Air Base's Southside Fitness Center Annex, Germany. After a long and daunting year, the initial shipment of COVID-19 vaccines mark what infectious disease experts predict will be a turning point in the pandemic.
Medical logistics airmen worked late into the evening, Dec. 30, 2020, transporting vaccines to a cold-storage facility. Initial quantities are limited and will be distributed on a rolling delivery basis as more vaccines become available.
I'm not getting vaccinated only for my own benefit. ... This is a
way to help protect my daughter, my wife, my wingmen, and most
importantly, our patients in high-risk categories."
Air Force Col. (Dr.) Ryan Mihata, commander, 86th Medical Group
In accordance with Defense Department guidelines, Ramstein's vaccine distribution is following a phased approach, with initial doses offered to airmen operating on the frontlines of the pandemic. Although the vaccine is currently not mandatory, it is an important part of the way forward.
"The health of our community remains our top priority," Air Force Brig. Gen. Josh Olson, 86th Airlift Wing commander, said. "This vaccine is a critical addition to current public health measures. It's a critical step on the path to end the pandemic. We encourage all eligible personnel to receive the vaccine, when it is offered. This will both protect the community and preserve our ability to accomplish the mission."
Air Force Col. (Dr.) Ryan Mihata, 86th Medical Group commander, eagerly rolled up his sleeve for his initial dose.
"I'm not getting vaccinated only for my own benefit," Mihata said. "This is a way to help protect my daughter, my wife, my wingmen, and most importantly, our patients in high-risk categories."
Ramstein's medical clinic is one of 28 military treatment facilities in Europe that will receive initial shipments of the vaccine.
As the gateway to the world, Ramstein has a critical aeromedical evacuation mission. The base is home to the 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron and the 10th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Flight. Both AE units triage, treat and transport wounded or ill service members to medical treatment centers. This team has transported hundreds of COVID-19 patients since the beginning of the pandemic. Ramstein is also home to one of the largest groups of first responders in the Air Force.
Administering the vaccines to Ramstein's huge population will be a monumental task for the 86th MDG over the next several months, requiring extensive manpower to administer the doses and annotate each member's records. The vaccine requires two doses per person, separated by about four weeks between doses. The medical clinic will need to redirect manpower from other sections within the clinic, which may result in a reduction in availability for routine medical care, Mihata said.
When the time comes for the larger distribution of the vaccine to the healthy population, all eligible personnel are encouraged to take the vaccine to contribute to lowering the public health risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I highly recommend that anyone eligible for the vaccine go ahead and get it," Mihata urges. "Physical distancing and face coverings will still be required, but this extra layer of protection is one of the most advanced tools we have to help us navigate our way back to normal."
Readout of U.S.-Maldives Inaugural Defense and Security Dialogue
Jan. 6, 2021
The U.S. Department of Defense and the Ministry of Defense of the Maldives held their inaugural Defense and Security Dialogue January 5 in Male, Maldives. Mr. Anthony Tata, performing the duties of under secretary of defense for policy, co-chaired the meeting alongside Maldivian Minster of Defense Mariya Didi.
The DoD and the Maldivian MoD agreed on concrete steps to operationalize the Security and Defense Relationship Framework signed in September 2020, with a focus on four areas: exercises, logistics, information sharing and professional military education. Both sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region and agreed on activities in 2021 that will advance shared priorities such as maritime security, counterterrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
The DoD commended the Maldives’ success in rapidly mobilizing and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, and both sides agreed to evaluate further cooperation opportunities in the area of COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
The DoD and Maldivian MoD affirmed the importance of the dialogue and look forward to holding the next Defense and Security Dialogue in 2022.
COVID-19 Testing
Army Sgt. 1st Class Luis Ayala assists with testing for COVID-19 at a clinic in the Virgin Islands, Jan. 4, 2021. The National Guard has been supporting efforts to safeguard the citizens of the Virgin Islands during the pandemic.
Vaccine Transfer
A pharmacy supply supervisor transfers the initial shipment of COVID-19 vaccine from container to freezer at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, Fort Campbell, Ky., Dec. 31, 2020. The hospital began inoculating healthcare workers and first responders within hours, marking the start of its phased-in vaccination program to mitigate the spread of the virus.
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