South Carolina Army Guard aviation unit delivers a piece of history to military museum

By Army Staff Sgt. Jorge Infriago

South Carolina National Guard

COLUMBIA, S.C (7/17/12). - Soldiers from the South Carolina Army National Guard’s B Company, 2nd Battalion, 238th Aviation Regiment took part in unique training in preparation for an upcoming deployment while at the same time giving an old bird one more chance to soar.

The Soldiers from the unit airlifted an H-13B Sioux helicopter from Pierre, South Dakota, to its new home at the South Carolina Military Museum, which focuses on the history of the South Carolina National Guard.

The Sioux is a three-man observation and basic training helicopter that was used by the U.S. military throughout the 1950s. The Sioux is often said to be the birth of Army rotary wing aviation and it has a significant role in the history of the South Carolina Army Guard.

“The helicopter was significant to South Carolina,” said E.G. “Buddy” Sturgis, director of the South Carolina Military Museum. “It was the first rotor wing in South Carolina Army (Guard) aviation.”

The only problem was how to get the newly acquired helicopter down to South Carolina. That’s where the South Carolina Army Guard stepped in. The Soldiers from B Company have been preparing for an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan by performing cross-country flying missions flying the CH-47 Chinook helicopter.

 The Soldiers from the unit needed additional cross-country flying time for their deployment and unit members jumped at the chance to perform this unique historical mission to help transport the helicopter to its new home.

“I think it was nice to be involved in the aircraft’s last flight from South Dakota to South Carolina before the aircraft’s final home at the museum,” said Spc. Tommy Hunt, flight engineer with B Company.

The Sioux is scheduled to go on display at the South Carolina Military Museum in the near future. South Carolina Army Guard members and museum staff are working together to restore the piece of history to its original condition.

CBP Donates Seized World War I Artillery to Military Museum

Charleston, S.C. - A rather unusual seizure by U.S. Customs and Border Protection enabled 13 pieces of World War I German military items to find a new home. These items, with an appraised value of $2,000, consisted of inert artillery casings, projectiles and fuses as well as an inert artillery collar (77mm and 105mm). They were seized in January on behalf of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from a shipment originating in the United Kingdom. Although the importer indicated that these items were intended to be used as curios and relics, they were found to be in violation of ATF regulations. 

Once a determination was made that the articles were inert, or safe to seize and store, CBP took possession. Shortly after, the Director/Curator of the U.S. Army Artillery Museum contacted CBP requesting transferal of the seized items to the museum located in Fort Sill, Okla.

The U.S. Army Artillery Museum tells the story of artillery from 1775 to the present with more than 70 guns and artillery pieces and numerous other artifacts from headgear and ammo to small arms and uniforms. Since the museum already housed several models of German World War I artillery pieces that used the same calibers of ammunition, they felt that these additional items would be an asset to the collection.

CBP agreed that the items would be of greater value in the museum, therefore, the transfer was approved. As a result, the artillery pieces will be formally catalogued in the museum collection of the U.S. Army and placed on public exhibition.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

MILITARY CONTRACTS November 4, 2008

Army

Oshkosh Corp., Oshkosh, Wis., was awarded on Oct. 31, 2008, a $1,266,601,398 requirements/contract/firm/fixed/price contract. The purchase of 2285 new heavy Expand Mobility Tactical Trucks (HEMTTA4) trucks, 768 HEMTT RECAP, an upgrade a lower model truck. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, Wis., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2012. One bid was solicited and one bid was received. TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-09-D-0024).

AAI Corp., Hunt Valley, Md., was awarded on Nov 1, 2008, a $135,049,801 cost plus/incentive/fee contract for Shadow unmanned aerial vehicle system, and performance based logistics. Work will be performed in Hunt Valley, Md., with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2009. One bid was solicited and one bid was received. U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-08-C-0016).

AM General LLC, South Bend, Ind., was awarded on Oct. 31, 2008, a $100,447,177 firm/fixed/price contract for added 853 EA High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicles to contract. Work will be performed in Mishawaka, Ind., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2009. One bid was solicited and one bid was received. TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (DAAE07-01-C-S001).

General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Mich., was awarded on Oct. 31, 2008, a $58,340,939 cost/plus/fixed/price contract for engineering service for Saudi Arabian government update to convert the M1A2 Abrams tank into Saudi, M1A2S configuration. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, Mich., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2010. One bid was solicited and one bid was received. TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-09-C-0095).

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, Huntsville, Ala., was awarded on Oct. 30, 2008, a $50,999,999 firm/fixed/price and cost/plus/fixed/fee task orders contract. The statement of works calls for the contractor to support the FAAD C2/C-RAM program in the systems architecture design and analysis, systems software interface support, design/system engineering, system integration, and system fielding. Work will be performed in Iraq, with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2009. One bid was solicited and one bid was received. US Army Contracting Command Aviation & Missile Command Contracting Center, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-06-D-0029).

L-3 Communication Combat Propulsion Systems, Muskegon, Mich., was awarded on Oct. 31, 2008, a $26,000,000 firm/fixed/price contract for remanufacture of hydro mechanical power transmission. Work will be performed in Muskegon, Mich., Huddersfield, and Yorkshire, United Kingdom, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2009. One bid was solicited and one bid was received. TACOM Contracting Center, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-09-C-0098).

South Carolina Commission for the Blind, Columbia, S.C., was awarded on
Oct. 31, 2008, a $9,266,299 cost/plus/award/fee/contract for contractor to provides food services post-wide for 13 dining facilities for soldiers at Fort Jackson, S.C. Work will be performed in Fort Jackson, S.C., with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2009. Two bids were solicited and two bids were received. Department of the Army Mission & Missile Contracting Command, Fort Jackson, S.C., is the contracting activity (DABT47-02-C-0003).

Raytheon Co., Andover, Mass., was awarded on Oct. 31, 2008, a $8,456,490 firm/fee/contract for. Work will be performed in Andover, Mass., with an estimated completion date of Nov. 21, 2010. One bid was solicited and one bid was received. Letterkenny Army Depot, Chambersburg, Pa., is the contracting activity (W911N2-08-C-0042).

Air Force

Aerospace Corp., of El Segundo, Calif., is being awarded a cost plus fixed fee contract for $797,107,900. This action will provide acquisition of scientific, engineering, and technical support for the federally funded Research and Development Center (Aerospace Corp.) which supports the Air Force and other Department of Defense programs. $27,923,400 has been obligated. Los Angeles AFB, Calif., is the contracting activity. F08802-09-C-0001.

Lockheed Martin Corp., of Littleton, Colo., is being awarded a firm fixed price contract modification not to exceed $145,600,000. The purpose of this Undefinitized Contract Action (UCA) is to provide launch services and hardware coverage for the AFSPC-2 mission and to protect the current launch schedule under the Evolved Expendable Launch Services contract. This UCA will cover the launch service booster, flight hardware mission unique, and solid rocket booster nozzle portions of the AFSPC-2 mission. The contract has a required minimum lead time of 24 months to build and deliver a launch vehicle. Delay of this action will adversely impact the launch impact the launch manifest for a critical national security AFSPC mission and the contractor's ability to meet its lead time requirements. $72,800,000 has been obligated. Los Angeles AFB, Calif., is the contracting activity. FA8816-06-C-0004, modification P00012.

ITT Corp., of Patrick AFB, FL is being awarded a cost-plus award fee; cost-reimbursable contract modification for $66,961,335. This modification provides for the unilateral exercise incremental funding of contract year (Nov. 1, 2008 thru Oct. 31, 2009) sustainment option contract line item numbers for the Space Lift Range System contract. The action provides for the continued support for the program management, interface management, systems engineering and integration, depot maintenance transition, product acquisitions and modifications, and instrument modernization for operational systems and infrastructure including instrumentation, network and control display. $8,748,182 has been obligated. Peterson AFB, Colo., is the contracting activity. F04701-01-C-0001, Modification P00522.

General Dynamics Information Technology of Fairfax, Va., is being awarded a fixed-price incentive firm target contract for $42,316,801. The uni-comm contract provides score communications and Information Technology services to AFSPC locations; it also provides remote/IT services in support of AFNET Ops at Air Education and Training Command (AETC), Air Force Space Command, Air Mobility Command, Air National Guard and Pacific Air Force locations. The Uni-Comm contract also provides land mobile radio zone controller services that support non-AFSPC owned locations, including locations not under the Department of Defense (DOD). $42,316,801 has been obligated. Schriever AFB, Colo., is the contracting activity. FA2550-09-C-8001.

Lockheed Martin Corp., of Lockheed Martin Space System Company, Colo., is being awarded a cost plus award fee contract modification not to exceed $27,500,000. This purpose of this undefinitized contract action (UCA) is to provide launch services and hardware coverage for the AFSPC-2 mission and to protect the current launch schedule under the Evolved Expendable Launch Capabilities (ELC) contract. This UCA will cover the Atlas V geo-synchronous orbit and the ELC mission unique portions of the AFSPC-2 mission. The contract has a required minimum lead time of 24 months to build and deliver a launch vehicle. Delay of this action will adversely impact the launch manifest for a critical national security AFSPC mission and the contractor's ability to meet its lead time requirements. $13,750,000 has been obligated. Los Angeles AFB, Calif., is the contracting activity. FA8816-06-C-0002, Modification P00121.

The Air Force is modifying a firm fixed price contract with McDonnell Douglas Corp., A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of the Boeing Company, of St. Louis, Mo., for not to exceed $14,550,000. This action will provide for FY08 T-38C avionics upgrade program (AUP) post production support. This effort continues Air Education and Training Command (AETC) T-38C Training System operations such as providing continuing avionics block updates and sustaining Avionics Upgrade Program (AUP) engineering development capability. At this time $1,833,000 has been obligated. 663 AESS/SYKA, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio (FA8617-04-C-6153, Modification Number P00130).

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., of Savannah, Ga., is being awarded a firm fixed price contract modification for $10,018,588. This contract modification provides for continued fleet maintenance support for nine Gulfstream aircraft owned by the Egyptian government. This contract action is exercising option period 1 of 6. $10,018,588.99 has been obligated. Tinker AFB, Okla., is the contracting activity. FA8106-08-C-0001, modification P0001.

SELEX sensors and Airborne Systems Electro-Optics (Overseas) Limited of Basildon, United Kingdom, is being awarded a cost plus award fee and cost plus fixed fee contract modification for $6,590,620. The action will provide 1 Lot contractor logistics support, 1 Lot over and above, contractor acquired property and contractor furnished material, 1 Lot award fee and 1 Lot data for the all low light television system applicable to the AC-130U gunship. $6,590,620 has been obligated. Robins AFB, Ga., is the contracting activity. F33657-95-C-0072 Modification P00093.

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., of El Segundo, Calif., is being awarded a cost reimbursement with award fee contract modification for $5,822,000. This action provides for Joint Stars modernization risk reduction effort to study feasibility of a multi-platform radar Technology insertion radar onto the JSTARS platform. $5,822,000 has been obligated. Hanscom AFB, Mass., is the contracting activity. F19629-00-C-0100 Modification P00153.

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Electronic Systems, Defensive Systems Division of Rolling Meadows, IL., is being awarded a firm fixed price contract for $5,514,206. This action is for production phase of the Next Generation Missile Warning System (NexGen MWS). The purpose of NexGen MWS is to improve the existing large aircraft infrared countermeasure system's probability of declaring threat missiles and to increase probability of detection in high clutter environments. The contract will include system engineering and program management, travel, logistics, studies and analysis, options for field services representatives and interim contractor support. $4,791,890 has been obligated. Wright-Patterson AFB is the contracting activity. FA8625-09-C-6454.

NAVY

RDA, Inc.,* Doylestown, Pa. is being awarded a $9,866,295 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for a Phase III Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program under Topic No. N98-035 entitled "Signal Processing and System Concepts to Exploit Passive Signals in Airborne Active ASW Missions." The primary objective of this project is to provide advanced Technology products in the field of undersea warfare research and development and to transition this Technology to the anti-submarine warfare fleet. Work will be performed in Doylestown, Pa. (50 percent); Warrentown, Va. (40 percent), Patuxent River, Md. (5 percent), and at various testing locations across the United States (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $100,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This SBIR Phase III contract was competitively procured using SBIR Program Solicitation under Topic N98-035 and 13 offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, N.J. is the contracting activity (N68335-09-C-0048).

Canadian Commercial Corporation, General Dynamics Land Systems - Canada, is being awarded a $9,832,001 firm fixed priced modification to delivery order #0004 under contract (M67854-07-D-5028) for the purchase of prescribed load list parts to support 673 vehicles. Work will be performed in Durban, South Africa, and work is expected to be completed no later than July 6, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.

P&S Construction, Inc., Lowell, Mass., is being awarded a $6,857,000 firm-fixed price contract for design and construction of a reserve naval mobile construction battalion building. The work to be performed provides for the following components; maintenance shop, supply/logistics, material storage, woodworking shop, classrooms, medical, operations office, quarterdeck, administrative offices, training offices, material logistics office, and an armory for storing small arms and ammunition. Work will be performed in Chicopee, Mass., and is expected to be completed by May 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured/negotiated via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with eight proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va. is the contracting activity (N40085-09-C-7017).

L3 Communications Titan Corp., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $5,617,177 modification on a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-07-C-0071), to exercise an option for the Phase II study and analysis to develop innovative solutions to be used in mission requirements for the Affordable Weapons System. This weapon system is being designed to fill a sea-based land attack and strike mission, to operate from ships, with potential for a sea-based Navy and Marine Corps aircraft launch capability. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and is expected to be completed in November 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

MILITARY CONTRACTS August 14, 2008

Air Force

Securiguard, Incorporated of McLean,Virginia is being awarded a firm-fixed price contract for $95,382,517. The purpose of this contract is to provide a comprehensive security force to effectively execute and manage security operations on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) and its associated Florida Annexes (Jonathan Dickinson Missile Tracking Annex, Cocoa Beach Tracking Annex, Fort Pierce Microwave Relay Annex, Malabar Transmitter Annex, Melbourne Beach Optical Tracking Annex, Stuart Microwave Relay Annex, Port Canaveral Cable Terminal Annex, Wabasso Microwave Relay Annex). The contractor will be required to provide a fully trained, armed, and uniformed security force whose capability and quality meets Air Force standards in accordance with Air Force Instruction (AFI) 31-101 and AFI 31-20. Performance requirements include: Protect the capability to launch; protection of National, DoD, and commercial space-lift resources; provide command and control of security forces; provide dedicated response to protection level 1-4 resources; provide installation and restricted area entry control; maintain law and order; provide law enforcement patrols and traffic enforcement; provide security for launch and hazardous operations; manage and operate Security Force Control Center; monitor and survey installation electronic security systems; provide marine security operations; develop installation security plans and procedures; provide resource protection; Pass & ID services; perform services during crisis and contingency. At this time no funds have been obligated. Patrick AFB, Fl is the contracting activity (FA2521-08-C-0011)

Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., of Herndon, VA, is being awarded a contract for $34,500,105. The action will provide survivability research and development analysis to European Security Operations Center and the 66th Military Intelligence Group. The location of performance is Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, Va. At this time $1,856,358 has been obligated. Offutt AFB, Neb., is the contracting activity (SP0700-03-D-1380).

Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., of Herndon, VA, is being awarded a contract for $18,941,252. The action will provide U.S. Marine Corps logistics chain survivability analysis. The location of performance is McLean, Va. At this time $454,000 has been obligated. Offutt AFB, Neb., is the contracting activity (SP0700-03-D-1380).

Henry M. Jackson Foundation of Rockville, Md., is being awarded a contract for $20,992,931. The objective of this effort is to provide research and research support for the Biosciences and Protection Division of the Air Force Research Laboratory. The Biosciences and Protection Division has four key technology mission areas: 1) biotechnology, 2) bio-behavioral performance, 3) biomechanics, and 4) counterproliferation. This effort will develop innovative science and technology to advance the state-of-art in each of these mission areas. This effort will provide for an integrated administrative and management test-bed venue focused on innovative technology concepts required to capitalize on advances in the biosciences and to provide radically new Air Force capabilities. These capabilities will improve warfighter performance and combat effectiveness, as well as provide a general public benefit through appropriate civilian applications. The location of performance is Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and Brooks City Base, Texas. At this time $700,000 has been obligated. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-05-2-6518).

L-3 Communications of Pittsburgh, Penn., is being awarded a contract for $6,128,869. This action will provide design and development of two, 1 meter primary, on axis Cassegrain, azimuth/elevation mount telescopes for use in laser propagation and turbulence sensing experiments at the Starfire Optical Range at Kirtland AFB, N.M. At this time $1,500,000 has been obligated. Kirtland AFB, N.M., is the contracting activity (FA9451-08-C-0262).

Survival Innovations, Inc of Arden North Carolina is being awarded a contract for $5,999,044. The objective of this effort if to tailor development, integration and testing of a head and neck restraint system to provide improved head and neck injury protection within acceptable limits for the smaller anthropometric population range of fighter aircraft, thereby optimizing warfighter injury tolerance and protection during emergency escape. This research will potentially benefit all aircraft ejection systems. At this time $5,999,044 has been obligated. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-08-C-6925).

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

Huguenot Energy LLC., Charleston, S.C.* is being awarded a maximum $53,153,997 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for fuel. Other locations of performance are in Charleston, South Carolina. Using services are Army, Navy, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were originally 55 proposals solicited with 18 responses. The date of performance completion is April 30, 2011. The contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), Fort Belvoir, Va. (SP0600-08-D-0357).

US Foodservice/Joseph Webb Division, Vista, Calif. is being awarded a maximum $34,585,000 firm fixed price, prime vendor contract for full line food distribution services. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. There are no other locations of performance. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is exercising second option year. This proposal was originally Web solicited with 3 responses. The date of performance completion is August 17, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa. (SPM300-08-D-3206).

Midstream Fuel Service LLC., Houston, Texas* is being awarded a maximum $6,064,080 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for fuel. Other locations of performance are Carrabelle, Florida and Beaumont, Texas. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were originally 55 proposals solicited with 18 responses. The date of performance completion is April 30, 2011. The contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), Fort Belvoir, Va. (SP0600-08-D-0362).

Army

Caddell Construction Co., Montgomery, Ala., was awarded on Aug. 13, 2008, a $48,463,000 firm-fixed price contract for the design and construction of three simulation training facilities with a gross square footage of 240,043 for non-motion based and motion based simulations. Work will be performed in Fort Benning, Ga., and is expected to be completed by March 2, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Four bids were solicited on May 2, 2008, and two bids were received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity (W912HN-07-D-0056).

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Stratford, Conn., was awarded on Aug. 13, 2008, an $8,904,288 firm-fixed price contract for procurement of spares and ground support equipment for the Bahrain Defense Force. Work will be performed in Stratford, Conn., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One bid was solicited on Oct. 20, 2005. U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-08-C-0003).

Ttec-Tesoro, Norcross, Ga., was awarded on Aug. 12, 2008, a $8,716,000 firm-fixed price contract for the design and construction of company operations facilities. Work will be performed at Fort Bragg, N.C., and is expected to be completed by Jan. 11, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Four bids were solicited on June 23, 2008, and two bids were received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity (W912HN-07-D-0058).

Navy

McDonnell Douglas Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a $17,394,620 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost plus fixed fee contract (N00383-06-D-001J) to incorporate post production and performance based logistics support requirements necessary for the continued safe and effective operations of fielded F/A-18 A-D aircraft. This modification provides support for the Navy, Marine Corps; and the governments of Australia, Canada, Spain, Finland, Switzerland, Kuwait, and Malaysia. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Mo. (76 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (21 percent); Warner Robins, Ga. (2 percent); and Santa Clarita, Calif. (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in Dec. 2008. Contract funds in the amount of $903,305 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Navy ($12,574,529; 72 percent) and the Governments of Canada ($1,461,918; 8 percent); Spain ($1,016,986; 6 percent); Australia ($794,520; 5 percent); Finland ($677,991; 4 percent); Kuwait ($423,744; 2 percent); Switzerland ($360,183; 2 percent); and Malaysia, ($84,749; 1 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales Program. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. is the contracting activity.

American Electronic Warfare Assoc., California, Md., is being awarded a $14,777,791 cost-plus-fixed-fee bridge contract for the continuation of engineering and ground test support services at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Atlantic Ranges and Facilities Department, Integrated Combat Environments Division and Modeling and Simulation Division. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Md. and is expected to be completed in Feb. 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $2,463,347 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00421-08-C-0074).

Nan, Inc. dba Ocean House Builders, Honolulu, Hawaii, is being awarded $11,432,000 for firm-fixed-price task order #0002 under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity design-build multiple award construction contract (N62478-08-D-4009) for all design, construction and incidental related work to construct a new 1-story facility which combines a fleet store and MWR outdoor gear facility into one building. Work will be performed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and work is expected to be completed by May 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The basic contract was competitively procured with 41 offers solicited, 12 proposals received and award made on Feb. 28, 2008. The total contract amount is not to exceed $100,000,000, which includes the base period and four option years. The multiple contractors (five in number) may compete for task order under the terms and conditions of the existing contract. Four proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii is the contracting activity.

Cameron Bell Corporation, Government Solutions Group,* Charleston, S.C., is being awarded a potential maximum $9,980,891 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (delivery order), cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide technical and engineering services in support of the Cyber Asset Reduction Security (CARS) program at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center San Diego, Information technology Enterprise networking environment. Support includes: knowledge management, content management, systems mapping, architectural integration, analysis, planning, design and implementation of new systems, subsystems and critical items to support requirements. Work will be performed at selected Space and Naval Warfare Systems activities within the United States, including: San Diego, Calif.; Seattle, Wash.; Norfolk, Va.; New Orleans, La.; and Charleston, S.C., and work is expected to be completed Aug. 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was negotiated as a sole source agreement in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1), Only One Responsible Source (FAR Subpart 6.302-1). There is only one source, Government Solutions Group, qualified and capable of performing the work at a reasonable price to the Government. The use of any other contractor would involve a substantial duplication of costs not expected to be recovered through competition. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N66001-08-D-0078).

Rockwell Collins Government Systems, Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is being awarded a $5,598,148 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-priced contract (N00019-05-C-0050) to exercise an option for the FY 2008 production of AN/ARC-210(V) Electronic Protection Radio System for the Air Force F-16 aircraft. This modification includes 74 RT-1851A(C) ARC-210 receiver-transmitter radios; 59 MT-6567 mounting bases; 62 C-12719 controls; and 59 RF filter diplexers. Work will be performed in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and is expected to be completed in Dec. 2008. Contract funds in the amount of $1,773,551 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. is the contracting activity.

President Truman Championed Military Integration

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

July 23, 2008 - The idea that President Harry S. Truman would integrate the armed forces in 1948 was counterintuitive. Truman, after all, was the product of a segregated society in Missouri. He served as an artillery captain in the segregated World War I Army. He had a reputation as a machine politician who didn't rock the boat.

There was really nothing in his biography to suggest he would champion integration.

Yet less than four months before the 1948 presidential election, Truman signed Executive Order 9981.

"It is hereby declared to be the policy of the president that there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin," the July 26, 1948, executive order read in part.

The sweeping change virtually guaranteed that Truman would not win the so-called "Solid South" in the elections. The Southern states were reliable wins for Democratic politicians at the time. Truman's stand on race relations caused many politicians to bolt the Democratic Party and run as "Dixiecrats."

Strom Thurmond -- who later would represent South Carolina in the U.S. Senate for almost a half century -- opposed Truman in the election, garnering 39 electoral votes as the candidate for the segregationist States Rights Democratic Party.

New York Gov. Thomas E. Dewey, the Republican nominee, was considered a shoo-in for election. Thurmond took four states that normally would have voted Democratic in the November election, but Truman still won.

Through the next four years, Truman battled with military and civilian leaders to ensure they carried out Executive Order 9981. The Truman order was a landmark in American history. It intimated that separate was not equal five years before the Supreme Court agreed.

America Supports You: Restored 1931 Buick Showcases 'Faces of Valor'

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

July 10, 2008 - Patriotism runs high at Chick and Ruth's Delly, a mainstay along the Maryland capital's Main Street. Ted Levitt, the deli's owner, starts each morning leading patrons as they recite the Pledge of Allegiance. A huge flag hovers high over the lunch counter, and yellow-and-orange walls are covered with photos of troops in uniform. Now Levitt has a new addition: a fully restored 1931 Buick, airbrushed with the faces of 43 heroes who have served the country in the armed forces or as police officers, firefighters and other first responders.

Levitt hopes to use his labor of love, which he's named "Faces of Valor USA," to raise money for scholarships and financial assistance for or in honor of those wounded or killed while performing their duty.

The red, white and blue car took two and a half years to restore and made its debut appearance during Annapolis' Fourth of July Parade. Now Levitt is lining up events where he can showcase the car to raise funds to help those who have sacrificed for their country and the families some of them left behind.

Levitt said he got the idea to personalize his project after the parents of Marine Capt. Ben Sammis stopped into his deli to tell him that their son had been killed conducting helicopter rescues in Iraq. Sammis graduated from The Citadel in South Carolina, but met Levitt when he frequented Chick and Ruth's Delly while attending a U.S. Naval Academy program.

Devastated to hear of his death, Levitt asked Beth and Steve Sammis for permission to use their son's face on his car.

Levitt took the project farther, ultimately choosing 43 people to depict on his car and bring faces to the concepts of sacrifice and service. In addition to 15 firefighters killed in New York during the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the Faces of Valor project highlights troops who have served in operations from the Vietnam War to the war in Iraq.

Levitt knows all but the New York firefighters personally, from his cousin, Army Chief Warrant Officer Stewart Goldberg, who was killed when his helicopter was shot down in Vietnam in July 1969, to Master Sgt. Karl Allen, a local businessman who retired from the reserve components after three deployments.

The face of Army Capt. D.J. Skelton, a Chick and Ruth's Delly patron, appears with his left eye closed; he lost it during a rocket-propelled-grenade attack while serving with 25th Infantry Division in Fallujah, Iraq, in November 2004.

But Levitt said he intentionally chose to use not only faces of those wounded or killed in the line of duty.

"This is a tribute, not a memorial," he said of the Faces of Valor project. "A lot of people think you have to have been killed to be honored, but that's not the point here. What matters is that these people put their lives on the line every day to protect us. It's because of them that we get to live the lives we live."

Levitt said he wants people who see the car to focus on each face and recognize the sacrifices so many people make so Americans can live in safety and enjoy freedoms some only dream about.

"These are the men and women who allow us to live in freedom, to do any kind of job we want and allow our constitution to live on," he said. "It's because of them that we get to do what we do."

At age 51, Levitt said, he remembers the protests and abuse that awaited many Vietnam veterans when they returned from that war, and said he wants to ensure that never happens to today's returning troops.

"They need to be treated as heroes," he said. "And for those who need help, they need to know that they will be taken care of. We owe them that."

Guard Answers Calls in Weather-Battered States

By Air Force Master Sgt. Mike R. Smith
Special to American Forces Press Service

May 12, 2008 - National Guard members in four states were called out by their governors to assist civil authorities today after tornadoes crossed the southwestern United States on May 10 and flooding on the Delaware coast left communities in need of emergency assistance. Since May 7, the National Weather Service has confirmed at least 42 tornadoes in the southern plains and the southeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the nation, with the strongest tornado recorded May 10 as an F-4. It developed from a super-cell storm that tracked through three states.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency reported that Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma and South Carolina were affected by severe weather during the weekend, with at least 22 confirmed deaths, many homes destroyed and thousands of people without power. The Guard also is responding to flooded areas in Delaware after heavy rains on Mother's Day.

In Oklahoma, Gov. Brad Henry called out the National Guard to assist emergency responders after five confirmed tornadoes touched down in the state. At least 25 Army Guard members are providing security support in the town of Picher after an F-4 tornado churned up a 63-mile swath of damage from Oklahoma to Missouri.

Soldiers reportedly are assisting local law enforcement in securing the area, which includes routes in and out of the town four miles south of the state's border with Kansas. An Army Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crew is flying aerial assessment missions for the governor.

In Arkansas, where at least two tornadoes touched down and tracked through the central part of the state the evening of May 10, homes were destroyed in the town of Stuttgart.

"We've deployed 50 Guardsmen from the Guard's 875th Engineer Battalion," said Air Force Maj. Keith Moore, a National Guard spokesman. Moore said the soldiers traveled from their station in Jonesboro and are providing security support at traffic control points and conducting patrols to prevent looting.

The soldiers are working two shifts during an around-the-clock operation and are expected to be on station through May 14. The Army Guard is flying Gov. Michael Beebe and emergency management agency personnel on a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter out of Camp Robinson to assess damaged areas.

"This is one of the key roles of the Guard, being a dual-mission force, that we are here to support our local communities [and] respond to the governor," Moore said.

After severe storms and tornadoes swept through southwestern Missouri, nearly 20 Army Guard soldiers deployed on state active duty to support Gov. Matt Blunt in his emergency response efforts for the towns of Newtonia and Grany. The soldiers are assisting local law enforcement agencies with security. Eight soldiers and two military vehicles deployed to each town.

In Delaware, tidal flooding and heavy rains led to Guard members deploying in six light medium tactical vehicles and one 2.5-ton truck to assist in flood evacuations at South Bowers Beach, Kitts Hummock Beach, Woodland Beach and Slaughter Beach.

"The LMTVs can carry up to 15 people and have a high ground clearance, which allows them operate in up to 4 feet of water," said Lt. Col. Len Gratteri, Delaware National Guard spokesman. Gratteri said the state's Guard members are deployed from the 262nd Maintenance Company, the 261st Signal Brigade and the 72nd Troop Command.

The Delaware Guard is coordinating emergency assistance through the state's emergency management agency with its Joint Operations and Emergency Operations Centers. A shelter area is also set up in Kent County.

(Air Force Master Sgt. Mike R. Smith serves with the National Guard Bureau. Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill of the National Guard Bureau contributed to this report.)

America Supports You: Group's Quilts Get Cameo on 'Army Wives'

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

May 9, 2008 - They didn't have any lines, and if it weren't for their bright colors against the spartan background of a C-17 Globemaster's cargo bay, quilts produced by the South Carolina Quilts of Valor troop-support organization might have gone unnoticed. But their cameo appearance in a scene of Lifetime Network's military drama "Army Wives," however, reflects the importance the quilts have in the lives of real servicemembers.

Susan Thomas, president of the quilt-making group, said Air Force Reserve Capt. Wayne Capps, public affairs officer for the 315th Airlift Wing here, suggested to the show's staff that they use her organization's quilts in a scene while coordinating details of the May 5 filming here of parts of the upcoming season's fourth episode.

"It's just so inspiring, just to know that somebody cares enough to say, 'We want to show this,'" she said.

When their 15 minutes of fame ended, the quilts were boxed up and sent overseas with a note letting recipients know about their quilts' star status.

South Carolina Quilts of Valor is part of the national Quilts of Valor Foundation that started four years ago. The mission of the foundation, and all its chapters, is to cover every wounded servicemember with a quilt to let them know how much they're appreciated.

In the three and a half years since it began, the South Carolina chapter has completed 660 of the quilts, ranging from 50 by 60 inches to 62 by 72 inches in size, just right for use on the litters used to transport wounded warriors on aeromedical airlift flights.

The nearly 30 group members spend about three weeks and a little over $100 to create each heirloom-quality quilt, using only quilt store fabric and a particular kind of batting that ensures they're soft and will hold up to the rigors of a hospital stay.

Despite the seemingly small number of quilters in the chapter, their quilts are anything but cookie-cutter.

"We send a variety," Thomas said. "In fact, [an Army chaplain] sent me an e-mail after he received his box and ... said, 'I love to turn your boxes upside-down and watch the colors fall out.'"

The differing patterns do more than keep one quilt from looking like the next, Thomas said. The pattern name often is included on the label, which raises some curiosity in the recipients.

Two quilt recipients have told the group that they go online to look at the organization's Web site and to research the history of the pattern. "It gives them something to do in the hospital," Thomas explained.

While she never knows where her group's quilts will end up when they're shipped overseas, Thomas said she knows for a fact that they have a huge impact on the recipients.

The half dozen quilts used in the "Army Wives" episode theoretically will end up at the fictional Fort Marshall, where the show is set. But their real impact will be much broader. They not only will bring comfort to real servicemembers, but also will shine a spotlight on Quilts of Valor Foundation's less-recognized chapters, Thomas said.

"Army Wives" second season begins June 8 at 10 p.m. on Lifetime Network.

Editor's Note: To find out about more individuals, groups and organizations that are helping to support the nation's servicemembers, visit www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil. America Supports You directly connects military members to the support of the America people and offers a tool to the general public in their quest to find meaningful ways to support the military community.