By Susan Huseman
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 3, 2008 - Every soldier headed to Iraq and Afghanistan receives "Battlemind" training designed to help them deal with combat experiences, but few know the science behind the program. Consequently, Dr. Amy Adler, a senior research psychologist with the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research's U.S. Army Medical Research Unit Europe, in Heidelberg, Germany, visited Patch Barracks here, breaking down the program, which is a system of support and intervention.
The Battlemind system includes separate pre-deployment training modules for soldiers, unit leaders, health care providers and spouses. Psychological debriefings are given in theater and upon redeployment. There are also a post-deployment module for spouses and several post-deployment modules for soldiers.
Not every soldier who deploys is at risk for mental health problems; the main risk factor is the level of combat experienced, Adler explained to her audience of medical, mental health and family support professionals.
Army studies show the greater the combat exposure a soldier encounters, the greater the risk for mental health problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anger and relationship problems. When soldiers first return home, they may not notice any problems; sometimes it takes a few months for problems to develop.
For those in the medical community, "our challenge was how to develop interventions that can get at all these things," the doctor recalled. "How do you develop a mental health training of some sort that's going to prevent that eventual increase over time?
"We realized we needed to develop some kind of alternative," Adler continued. "There was no existing mental health training that made sense for these sets of questions. It's not like there was something off the shelf in civilian literature that would begin to address this."
Post-deployment health briefings didn't specifically target soldiers going into combat and coming back with adjustment challenges, so researchers at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research began to define their objectives for a mental health training program. Adler said the team needed to develop something that was "going to make sense for different phases of the deployment cycle."
"For example," she said, "the existing mental health brief (at the time) was the same for pre- and post-deployment. That doesn't make sense. The challenges are different."
"Secondly," she continued, "we wanted to make sure it was integrated. If we tell somebody something at (pre-(deployment), we want to make sure whatever theme we're going for or concept we're trying to communicate, it's going to connect with the same information that we're going to talk about at (post-deployment)."
The result? Battlemind, a term used to describe combat readiness that the researchers felt was appropriate for the training they were designing. Adler called it a soldier's inner strength to face fear and adversity in combat with courage, labeling it "resiliency."
The Battlemind system is built on findings from surveys and interviews given to soldiers and Marines returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. In fact, many of the researchers themselves have deployed.
The research team gathered soldiers' accounts of specific events and incidents, turning them into teaching tools that warriors can relate to. "Some of these stories tell more than any briefing ever could," Adler said.
The first Battlemind product was a mental health post-deployment briefing. It quickly became a training system supporting soldiers and families across the seven phases of the deployment cycle.
As part of her presentation here, Adler discussed various challenges in developing a relevant pre-deployment mental health briefing for soldiers.
"You have 45 minutes, maybe an hour, to tell soldiers, before they deploy to Iraq, something about mental health," she said. "What are you going to tell them? You don't want to sugarcoat it, but you don't want to teach them a whole lot of new information right at a time when they are focused on the task ahead of them."
The researchers first chose to identify the reality of combat and deployment. It may sound rudimentary, but earlier research found that soldiers were not telling other soldiers what to expect. Soldiers didn't want to sound as if they were bragging, Adler said.
Pre-deployment Battlemind tells soldiers what they are likely to see, to hear, to think and to feel while deployed by describing the worst-case scenario.
For the post-deployment phase, Battlemind addresses safety concerns and relationship issues, normalizes combat-related mental health reactions and symptoms, and teaches soldiers when they should seek mental health support for themselves or for their buddies.
The researchers realized that this post-deployment briefing, the original Battlemind, was not enough. The soldiers they talked to were raw, edgy and angry. Another training program, Battlemind II, was developed to be given three to six months into redeployment.
The system reemphasizes normal reactions and symptoms related to combat and "Battlemind checks," which are signs that indicate mental health support is needed.
"If you're still carrying a weapon around with you during the three- to six-month post-deployment phase, ... if you're still looking around for snipers, if your sleep is still really messed up, these might be signs that your transition is not going smoothly," she explained. "These are signs that you need to get help."
(Susan Huseman serves in the U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart Public Affairs Office.)
Showing posts with label u.s. army. Show all posts
Showing posts with label u.s. army. Show all posts
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Soldier Missing in Action From Korean War is Identified
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
He is Cpl. Robert S. Ferrell, U.S. Army, of Dallas, Texas. His burial date is being set by his family.
Representatives from the Army met with Ferrell's next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process, and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the secretary of the Army.
On Feb. 12, 1951, Ferrell was assigned to Battery A, 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, then occupying a position about 70 miles east of Seoul, South Korea. The 503rd was providing artillery support for friendly units coming under heavy attack by Chinese Communist Forces. In danger of being overrun, the 503rd was forced to withdraw to the south. Records indicate that Ferrell was captured near Hoengsong, South Korea, during the fighting. He later died in captivity at the Suan Mining POW camp located about 40 miles southeast of Pyongyang, North Korea.
Between 1990 and 1994, the North Korean government repatriated what they claimed to be 208 sets of remains, including a 1991 turnover of several servicemen recovered near the Suan Mining POW camp. Ferrell's remains, along with cold-weather clothing and uniform buttons worn by U.S. infantry, were included in the 1991 repatriation.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in the identification of Ferrell's remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
He is Cpl. Robert S. Ferrell, U.S. Army, of Dallas, Texas. His burial date is being set by his family.
Representatives from the Army met with Ferrell's next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process, and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the secretary of the Army.
On Feb. 12, 1951, Ferrell was assigned to Battery A, 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, then occupying a position about 70 miles east of Seoul, South Korea. The 503rd was providing artillery support for friendly units coming under heavy attack by Chinese Communist Forces. In danger of being overrun, the 503rd was forced to withdraw to the south. Records indicate that Ferrell was captured near Hoengsong, South Korea, during the fighting. He later died in captivity at the Suan Mining POW camp located about 40 miles southeast of Pyongyang, North Korea.
Between 1990 and 1994, the North Korean government repatriated what they claimed to be 208 sets of remains, including a 1991 turnover of several servicemen recovered near the Suan Mining POW camp. Ferrell's remains, along with cold-weather clothing and uniform buttons worn by U.S. infantry, were included in the 1991 repatriation.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in the identification of Ferrell's remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
Vet Receives Hero's Welcome, New Home
By Devin L. Fisher
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 19, 2007 - A disabled Iraq war veteran thought he came here Dec. 14 to pick out colors and tiles for a bathroom remodel, but instead was surprised with the keys to a new home. Brandon Burke, a U.S. Army combat medic permanently disabled during a 2005 mortar attack in Baghdad, was speechless when presented the 1,500-square-foot mobile home, not a check for $5,000 as anticipated.
"It was so unexpected, ... I didn't know what to say," said the 30-year-old who enlisted in the Army in June 2002 in nearby Aurora. "All I could think about was how this was going to change my life."
Burke was presented the keys to his new home during a live radio broadcast in front of more than 100 people who weathered the snow and bitter cold to show their appreciation.
The call to assist the wounded warrior by providing supplies and labor free of charge was met with an overwhelming response. In fact, people had to be turned away, said Tom Tarver, a partner with Greiner Electric, who said he donated his time to give back to those who fight for the freedoms he enjoys every day.
"I met a young man with one leg trying to make his home (handicap) accessible," Tarver said. "I knew I would not let him pick up another nail."
"You just want to do what's right," echoed Tim White, founder of White Construction.
The project was a compilation of efforts as 30 contractors "rose to the occasion" to help the wounded warrior, said Debbie Quackenbush, founder of American Military Family Inc., a nonprofit organization established in January 2005 to assist members of the U.S. military and their families in times of need.
American Military Family is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with members of the military and their families at home and abroad.
After a five-month recovery at Brooke Army Medical Center, in San Antonio, Burke returned to Colorado and purchased a mobile home in the town of Watkins. With the assistance of his friends, Burke began to remodel the mobile home in late 2006, but he ran low on money, and his friends were sidetracked with personal issues, he explained.
What started as a request for a grant to remodel a bathroom turned into much more after contractors determined it was not cost-effective to make the existing home handicap-accessible. The $5,000 grant -- from money raised through the American Military Family's "Support the Troops" Colorado license plate program -- was then used to purchase a mobile home in foreclosure, offered at a reduced price by Castle Park, Inc. owner Jerry Hall.
It was then that the "passion and hard work" of many transformed the once abandoned unit into a fully functional home with many upgrades and conveniences to including widened corridors and handicap-accessible granite countertops and faucets. The inside of the home was fully furnished by Sam's Club, and King Soopers stocked the refrigerator.
"A gift of a few weeks (of your time) ultimately became a gift of a lifetime," Tarver said.
But, White hopes this project reaches further than Burke. "There are more Brandons out there. If we all help a little, we'll all be better off."
Burke said he misses the camaraderie of the Army. Fellow soldiers are "like family," he said. "You live with them; ... you fight with them."
He said he knows he must now focus on his new future, continuing his love of the medical field. Burke is pursuing his bachelor's degree and then plans to apply for the medical scientist program at the University of Colorado Denver.
Burke was all smiles when he talked about his new office.
"No more going to the library or local bookstore to study," he said.
Burke wasn't the only one overwhelmed by the generosity. "It's phenomenal; ... we never could have imaged this in our wildest dreams," said Tom Burke, Brandon's father.
Brandon agreed. "It's going to be great. It's nice to call something home; ... I can't wait to settle in."
(Devin L. Fisher works for the U.S. Army Recruiting Denver Battalion.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 19, 2007 - A disabled Iraq war veteran thought he came here Dec. 14 to pick out colors and tiles for a bathroom remodel, but instead was surprised with the keys to a new home. Brandon Burke, a U.S. Army combat medic permanently disabled during a 2005 mortar attack in Baghdad, was speechless when presented the 1,500-square-foot mobile home, not a check for $5,000 as anticipated.
"It was so unexpected, ... I didn't know what to say," said the 30-year-old who enlisted in the Army in June 2002 in nearby Aurora. "All I could think about was how this was going to change my life."
Burke was presented the keys to his new home during a live radio broadcast in front of more than 100 people who weathered the snow and bitter cold to show their appreciation.
The call to assist the wounded warrior by providing supplies and labor free of charge was met with an overwhelming response. In fact, people had to be turned away, said Tom Tarver, a partner with Greiner Electric, who said he donated his time to give back to those who fight for the freedoms he enjoys every day.
"I met a young man with one leg trying to make his home (handicap) accessible," Tarver said. "I knew I would not let him pick up another nail."
"You just want to do what's right," echoed Tim White, founder of White Construction.
The project was a compilation of efforts as 30 contractors "rose to the occasion" to help the wounded warrior, said Debbie Quackenbush, founder of American Military Family Inc., a nonprofit organization established in January 2005 to assist members of the U.S. military and their families in times of need.
American Military Family is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with members of the military and their families at home and abroad.
After a five-month recovery at Brooke Army Medical Center, in San Antonio, Burke returned to Colorado and purchased a mobile home in the town of Watkins. With the assistance of his friends, Burke began to remodel the mobile home in late 2006, but he ran low on money, and his friends were sidetracked with personal issues, he explained.
What started as a request for a grant to remodel a bathroom turned into much more after contractors determined it was not cost-effective to make the existing home handicap-accessible. The $5,000 grant -- from money raised through the American Military Family's "Support the Troops" Colorado license plate program -- was then used to purchase a mobile home in foreclosure, offered at a reduced price by Castle Park, Inc. owner Jerry Hall.
It was then that the "passion and hard work" of many transformed the once abandoned unit into a fully functional home with many upgrades and conveniences to including widened corridors and handicap-accessible granite countertops and faucets. The inside of the home was fully furnished by Sam's Club, and King Soopers stocked the refrigerator.
"A gift of a few weeks (of your time) ultimately became a gift of a lifetime," Tarver said.
But, White hopes this project reaches further than Burke. "There are more Brandons out there. If we all help a little, we'll all be better off."
Burke said he misses the camaraderie of the Army. Fellow soldiers are "like family," he said. "You live with them; ... you fight with them."
He said he knows he must now focus on his new future, continuing his love of the medical field. Burke is pursuing his bachelor's degree and then plans to apply for the medical scientist program at the University of Colorado Denver.
Burke was all smiles when he talked about his new office.
"No more going to the library or local bookstore to study," he said.
Burke wasn't the only one overwhelmed by the generosity. "It's phenomenal; ... we never could have imaged this in our wildest dreams," said Tom Burke, Brandon's father.
Brandon agreed. "It's going to be great. It's nice to call something home; ... I can't wait to settle in."
(Devin L. Fisher works for the U.S. Army Recruiting Denver Battalion.)
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Air Force Officer Missing In Action From Vietnam War Is Identified
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
He is Maj. Perry H. Jefferson, U.S. Air Force, of Denver, Colo. He will be buried April 3, 2008 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.
On April 3, 1969, Jefferson was an aerial observer on board an O-1G Bird Dog aircraft on a visual reconnaissance mission over a mountainous region in Ninh Thuan Province, Vietnam. The pilot of the aircraft, then U.S. Army 1st Lt. Arthur G. Ecklund, radioed Phan Rang airbase to report his location, but contact was lost soon after. An extensive, three-day search and rescue effort began, but no evidence of a crash was found. Hostile threats in the area precluded further search efforts.
In 1984, a former member of the Vietnamese Air Force turned over to a U.S. official human remains that he said represented one of two U.S. pilots whose aircraft was shot down.
In 1994 a joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), interviewed two Vietnamese citizens regarding the incident. The witnesses said the aircraft crashed on a mountainside, the pilots died and were buried at the site. They said two other men were sent to the site a few days later to bury the pilots. The team excavated the crash site described by the witnesses and found aircraft wreckage. No human remains were found.
In 2000, the remains turned over in 1984 were identified as Ecklund's.
In 2001, a Vietnamese national living in California turned over to U.S. officials human remains that he said were recovered at a site where two U.S. pilots crashed. These remains were identified in 2007 as Jefferson's.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in identifying Jefferson's remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
He is Maj. Perry H. Jefferson, U.S. Air Force, of Denver, Colo. He will be buried April 3, 2008 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.
On April 3, 1969, Jefferson was an aerial observer on board an O-1G Bird Dog aircraft on a visual reconnaissance mission over a mountainous region in Ninh Thuan Province, Vietnam. The pilot of the aircraft, then U.S. Army 1st Lt. Arthur G. Ecklund, radioed Phan Rang airbase to report his location, but contact was lost soon after. An extensive, three-day search and rescue effort began, but no evidence of a crash was found. Hostile threats in the area precluded further search efforts.
In 1984, a former member of the Vietnamese Air Force turned over to a U.S. official human remains that he said represented one of two U.S. pilots whose aircraft was shot down.
In 1994 a joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), interviewed two Vietnamese citizens regarding the incident. The witnesses said the aircraft crashed on a mountainside, the pilots died and were buried at the site. They said two other men were sent to the site a few days later to bury the pilots. The team excavated the crash site described by the witnesses and found aircraft wreckage. No human remains were found.
In 2000, the remains turned over in 1984 were identified as Ecklund's.
In 2001, a Vietnamese national living in California turned over to U.S. officials human remains that he said were recovered at a site where two U.S. pilots crashed. These remains were identified in 2007 as Jefferson's.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in identifying Jefferson's remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Sergeant Major of the Army, USO Bring Cheer to Task Force Marne
By Pfc. Monica K. Smith, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 17, 2007 - Entertaining troops for the sixth consecutive year, the 2007 Hope and Freedom USO Tour stopped off here yesterday to entertain Multinational Division Center soldiers. The crowd was engaging, with a few of its own comics, and kept entertainers such as singer Darryl Worley and comedian Sheryl Underwood laughing just as hard.
The show began with opening remarks from Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth O. Preston, who introduced everyone on tour, including all of the band members and the stage crew.
"During the holidays, the USO tour is a piece of home to all the soldiers," Preston said. "It's also an opportunity to say thanks for the sacrifices they make."
Kicking the show off was the U.S. Army Band "Downrange" singing "I Live in America." Other featured acts were singer Keni Thomas, a former Army Ranger; four members of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders; Leeann Tweeden, a sports correspondent for Fox; and actor-comedian Vince Morris, who was greeted as a newbie by the crowd because this was his inaugural performance.
Tweeden said this is her eighth USO tour and that she just wants to be able to go back and tell everyone firsthand what she's seen and experienced.
On his sixth rotation with the USO Hope and Freedom tour, Worley said he's only making a small sacrifice. The group spends 14 days performing, visiting troops, signing autographs and taking photos. But Worley said he does it because he has friends who are willing to stop the enemy in its tracks for messing with him and the rest of America.
(Army Pfc. Monica K. Smith is assigned to 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 17, 2007 - Entertaining troops for the sixth consecutive year, the 2007 Hope and Freedom USO Tour stopped off here yesterday to entertain Multinational Division Center soldiers. The crowd was engaging, with a few of its own comics, and kept entertainers such as singer Darryl Worley and comedian Sheryl Underwood laughing just as hard.
The show began with opening remarks from Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth O. Preston, who introduced everyone on tour, including all of the band members and the stage crew.
"During the holidays, the USO tour is a piece of home to all the soldiers," Preston said. "It's also an opportunity to say thanks for the sacrifices they make."
Kicking the show off was the U.S. Army Band "Downrange" singing "I Live in America." Other featured acts were singer Keni Thomas, a former Army Ranger; four members of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders; Leeann Tweeden, a sports correspondent for Fox; and actor-comedian Vince Morris, who was greeted as a newbie by the crowd because this was his inaugural performance.
Tweeden said this is her eighth USO tour and that she just wants to be able to go back and tell everyone firsthand what she's seen and experienced.
On his sixth rotation with the USO Hope and Freedom tour, Worley said he's only making a small sacrifice. The group spends 14 days performing, visiting troops, signing autographs and taking photos. But Worley said he does it because he has friends who are willing to stop the enemy in its tracks for messing with him and the rest of America.
(Army Pfc. Monica K. Smith is assigned to 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade.)
Sunday, December 16, 2007
U.S. NORTHCOM Directs Possible Storm Aid for Icy Midwest
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 14, 2007 - Active military elements are preparing to assist federal emergency responders to help beleaguered Midwest residents cope with the effects of recent massive ice storms, a senior U.S. military officer told Pentagon reporters here today. "In anticipation of requests for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the commander of U.S. Northern Command has ordered the deployment of U.S. Army North defense coordinating officers and a defense coordinating element to assist Midwest residents suffering from the heavy ice storms and extreme winter weather," Army Maj. Gen. Richard Sherlock, the Joint Chiefs' director of operational planning, announced at a Pentagon news conference.
In recent days, thousands of citizens in eastern Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri have been dealing with paralyzing ice storms that downed power lines and closed roads, schools, businesses and airports across the region. The Ohio Valley and the northeastern United States also have been hit by severe winter weather.
The military officers are being deployed to Denton, Texas, and Kansas City, Mo., Sherlock said. Their role, he explained, is to coordinate the use of all active-duty personnel and equipment that may be requested by FEMA as part of a potential storm-response effort.
National Guard members from Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma have been contributing generator-provided electricity, cots, water, debris removal, and door-to-door checks in rural regions, according to military reports.
The battered Midwest areas are bracing for another storm system predicted to arrive sometime today, according to news reports.
The 20 or so deployed officers "will be coordinating a federal response, should a federal response be asked for," Sherlock said, noting there has been no request for such assistance.
U.S. Army North is a component of NORTHCOM, which is the unified combatant command responsible for defending the homeland and providing defense support of civil authorities during natural disasters and other emergencies.
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 14, 2007 - Active military elements are preparing to assist federal emergency responders to help beleaguered Midwest residents cope with the effects of recent massive ice storms, a senior U.S. military officer told Pentagon reporters here today. "In anticipation of requests for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the commander of U.S. Northern Command has ordered the deployment of U.S. Army North defense coordinating officers and a defense coordinating element to assist Midwest residents suffering from the heavy ice storms and extreme winter weather," Army Maj. Gen. Richard Sherlock, the Joint Chiefs' director of operational planning, announced at a Pentagon news conference.
In recent days, thousands of citizens in eastern Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri have been dealing with paralyzing ice storms that downed power lines and closed roads, schools, businesses and airports across the region. The Ohio Valley and the northeastern United States also have been hit by severe winter weather.
The military officers are being deployed to Denton, Texas, and Kansas City, Mo., Sherlock said. Their role, he explained, is to coordinate the use of all active-duty personnel and equipment that may be requested by FEMA as part of a potential storm-response effort.
National Guard members from Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma have been contributing generator-provided electricity, cots, water, debris removal, and door-to-door checks in rural regions, according to military reports.
The battered Midwest areas are bracing for another storm system predicted to arrive sometime today, according to news reports.
The 20 or so deployed officers "will be coordinating a federal response, should a federal response be asked for," Sherlock said, noting there has been no request for such assistance.
U.S. Army North is a component of NORTHCOM, which is the unified combatant command responsible for defending the homeland and providing defense support of civil authorities during natural disasters and other emergencies.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Face of Defense: Virginia Soldier Excited About Future
By Cpl. Ryan M. Blaich, USMC
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 13, 2007 - For Army Spc. Gerald Bradner, here on his first deployment, serving at Camp Blue Diamond is not only an opportunity of a lifetime, but also a way to relate to those in his family who also answered when their nation called. "I was brought up to believe that every man should serve his country however he can," said Bradner, 21, from Brookneal, Va. "Everyone from my grandfather all the way down to me has served when our country was at war. It's a great family tradition."
Bradner, an intelligence analyst with 3rd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, joined the U.S. Army shortly after he graduated from William Campbell High School in 2004. His grandfather and great uncles all fought the Axis aggression in World War II. His father volunteered to fight communism in Vietnam. And today, Bradner is proud to be combating terrorism in Iraq.
"This may be the only conflict in our lifetime, and I couldn't imagine just sitting it out," he said.
The greatest compliment to Bradner's character may be when his superior officers, after knowing him only a short time, recommended he apply for a commissioning program. Up until that point, Bradner constantly questioned his future in the Army, but this deployment changed all of that.
"I didn't think I was going to like the Army as much as I do, but I really love wearing the uniform, and I like serving my country," he said.
Bradner will have to complete four years of college and earn a bachelor's degree. He will have to chose a major, which he said would be history, but he will not have to choose a university. His superiors felt he was a prime candidate for one of America's premier institutions: the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. Bradner will become a cadet in the class of 2012. He said this is a challenge he is eager to begin.
"I've got mixed feelings about it. I'm really nervous. I'm worried about the transition from being a soldier to being a student," he said. "I'm sure it'll be exciting."
Another testament to Bradner's unique character is the rarity and relationship his high school has with West Point. The last time someone from his high school attended West Point, Bradner's father had yet to deploy to Vietnam.
"I'll be the first person from my high school to go to West Point in 40 years. So I'm really excited about that. I look at it as an opportunity to set myself apart from my peers," he said. "Growing up in a small town, I'm glad to be able to stand out and represent my community however I can."
Not only will he stand out in his community, the ribbons on his chest will immediately set him apart from those in his freshman class. By then, he will be a combat vet, having spent more than a year in Iraq.
Bradner will enroll in August 2008 for the fall semester. West Point admits only about 1,200 students a year. About 200 each year are prior enlisted, and most have to attend a prep school first. Bradner is part of a select few who get to bypass prep classes and go straight to the academy. Only 20 soldiers are given this chance every year.
For now, thoughts of college life will have to wait. Bradner said he cannot afford to think about freshman year because he still has a lot of important work left to do in Ramadi.
Currently, Bradner gathers all sorts of information and aids in the counterinsurgency fight against al Qaeda.
"We collect information to determine where al Qaeda is maintaining safe havens and try to figure out where they are going to strike next and what we can do to prevent that," he said. "We also try to keep abreast of the enemy's latest tactics."
His role here is much more aggressive and involved than it may appear. He spends a lot of time behind a desk and speaking to leaders in the Iraqi army and police. Although the conversations are casual, the information gathered from them can have a direct impact on the actions of men with guns out in Ramadi.
"The simplest way I can put it is, an infantryman kicks in doors, but intel points at which door to kick in," Bradner said.
His deployment started in mid-January, when Ramadi was still in the midst of transition and a bit unstable. This place was still dealing with roadside bombs, sniper fire and mortar attacks.
"When we first got to Ramadi, the place was bad," he said. "We were seeing 10 to 15 attacks per day, and that was normal. Some days we'd see 20 attacks. Before we left, we conducted an operation with the Marines, and that really helped clean up Ramadi. Since then, we've galvanized the tribal leaders, and they've basically ousted al Qaeda. A lot of it is due to kinetic actions from U.S. soldiers, but a vast majority of it is due to the cooperation with community sheiks and them not allowing al Qaeda to take safe haven in Ramadi anymore."
Bradner also has noticed changes in the people of Ramadi, the provincial capital of Anbar.
"When we first got here, the Iraqis were kind of standoffish," he said. "Now they really look at us as friends, like we're here to help and not like we're a threat or have some type of ulterior motive."
If Bradner could point to one thing about his deployment he takes the most pride in, it is being able to make a difference while he was here, he said. He said he will be able to look back years from now and feel like he was a part of the success of Anbar province. And, although he misses his family and will be spending his first Christmas away from home, he said he wouldn't change a thing.
(Marine Cpl. Ryan M. Blaich is assigned to 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 13, 2007 - For Army Spc. Gerald Bradner, here on his first deployment, serving at Camp Blue Diamond is not only an opportunity of a lifetime, but also a way to relate to those in his family who also answered when their nation called. "I was brought up to believe that every man should serve his country however he can," said Bradner, 21, from Brookneal, Va. "Everyone from my grandfather all the way down to me has served when our country was at war. It's a great family tradition."
Bradner, an intelligence analyst with 3rd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, joined the U.S. Army shortly after he graduated from William Campbell High School in 2004. His grandfather and great uncles all fought the Axis aggression in World War II. His father volunteered to fight communism in Vietnam. And today, Bradner is proud to be combating terrorism in Iraq.
"This may be the only conflict in our lifetime, and I couldn't imagine just sitting it out," he said.
The greatest compliment to Bradner's character may be when his superior officers, after knowing him only a short time, recommended he apply for a commissioning program. Up until that point, Bradner constantly questioned his future in the Army, but this deployment changed all of that.
"I didn't think I was going to like the Army as much as I do, but I really love wearing the uniform, and I like serving my country," he said.
Bradner will have to complete four years of college and earn a bachelor's degree. He will have to chose a major, which he said would be history, but he will not have to choose a university. His superiors felt he was a prime candidate for one of America's premier institutions: the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. Bradner will become a cadet in the class of 2012. He said this is a challenge he is eager to begin.
"I've got mixed feelings about it. I'm really nervous. I'm worried about the transition from being a soldier to being a student," he said. "I'm sure it'll be exciting."
Another testament to Bradner's unique character is the rarity and relationship his high school has with West Point. The last time someone from his high school attended West Point, Bradner's father had yet to deploy to Vietnam.
"I'll be the first person from my high school to go to West Point in 40 years. So I'm really excited about that. I look at it as an opportunity to set myself apart from my peers," he said. "Growing up in a small town, I'm glad to be able to stand out and represent my community however I can."
Not only will he stand out in his community, the ribbons on his chest will immediately set him apart from those in his freshman class. By then, he will be a combat vet, having spent more than a year in Iraq.
Bradner will enroll in August 2008 for the fall semester. West Point admits only about 1,200 students a year. About 200 each year are prior enlisted, and most have to attend a prep school first. Bradner is part of a select few who get to bypass prep classes and go straight to the academy. Only 20 soldiers are given this chance every year.
For now, thoughts of college life will have to wait. Bradner said he cannot afford to think about freshman year because he still has a lot of important work left to do in Ramadi.
Currently, Bradner gathers all sorts of information and aids in the counterinsurgency fight against al Qaeda.
"We collect information to determine where al Qaeda is maintaining safe havens and try to figure out where they are going to strike next and what we can do to prevent that," he said. "We also try to keep abreast of the enemy's latest tactics."
His role here is much more aggressive and involved than it may appear. He spends a lot of time behind a desk and speaking to leaders in the Iraqi army and police. Although the conversations are casual, the information gathered from them can have a direct impact on the actions of men with guns out in Ramadi.
"The simplest way I can put it is, an infantryman kicks in doors, but intel points at which door to kick in," Bradner said.
His deployment started in mid-January, when Ramadi was still in the midst of transition and a bit unstable. This place was still dealing with roadside bombs, sniper fire and mortar attacks.
"When we first got to Ramadi, the place was bad," he said. "We were seeing 10 to 15 attacks per day, and that was normal. Some days we'd see 20 attacks. Before we left, we conducted an operation with the Marines, and that really helped clean up Ramadi. Since then, we've galvanized the tribal leaders, and they've basically ousted al Qaeda. A lot of it is due to kinetic actions from U.S. soldiers, but a vast majority of it is due to the cooperation with community sheiks and them not allowing al Qaeda to take safe haven in Ramadi anymore."
Bradner also has noticed changes in the people of Ramadi, the provincial capital of Anbar.
"When we first got here, the Iraqis were kind of standoffish," he said. "Now they really look at us as friends, like we're here to help and not like we're a threat or have some type of ulterior motive."
If Bradner could point to one thing about his deployment he takes the most pride in, it is being able to make a difference while he was here, he said. He said he will be able to look back years from now and feel like he was a part of the success of Anbar province. And, although he misses his family and will be spending his first Christmas away from home, he said he wouldn't change a thing.
(Marine Cpl. Ryan M. Blaich is assigned to 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force.)
Heidelberg Staff Retraces Historical Battle of the Bulge
By Dave Melancon
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 13, 2007 - Mass formations of German armored vehicles and infantry quietly gathered along the border with Belgium and Luxembourg, preparing for Nazi Germany's last major offensive of World War II. The Ardennes Offensive, more popularly known as the Battle of Bulge, would begin Dec. 16, 1944. The Germans called their operation "Watch on the Rhine."
Sixty-three years later, 45 U.S. Army Garrison Heidelberg leaders and staff members retraced the route of the 6th Panzer Army's thrust into Belgium, seeing where soldiers of the 1st U.S. Army, including those from 5th Corps, thwarted Hitler's plan to split the Allied advance into Germany and capture the port of Antwerp, Belgium.
Along the Bulge's North Shoulder battlefields, the staff learned about acts of great courage and heroism. They also heard of acts of great cruelty and barbarism, explained by historian Will Cavanagh, their guide for the two-day staff ride.
"Remember that these people were just people. Some were good; some were better than others," said Army Col. Robert Ulses, USAG Heidelberg commander, during the first day's studies. "These people were running huge organizations."
Cavanagh, who has led staff rides since 1986, recalled hearing about the battle from his mother, who lived in the area during the attack, and from personal interviews with U.S. and German veterans.
"Mr. Cavanagh made this significant event of World War II come alive with his extensive knowledge of battle details and firsthand accounts of participating soldiers -- Allied and German," said Anita Johnson, of the USAG Heidelberg plans, analysis and integration office. "As a result, the Battle of the Bulge became real and not just another page in the history books."
Being able to walk the battlefields, she added, "to slog through the mud, rain and cold, and to listen to the human perspective that (Cavanagh) added to the battle details, brought home to me that these were real people fighting under grim conditions for a cause they believed in," she said.
The staff ride's first day concentrated on the assault route followed by Kampfgruppe (combat team) Peiper, led by Waffen-SS Lt. Col. Joachim Peiper, a former adjutant to Heinrich Himmler and the youngest regimental commander in the German army.
Peiper's column was ordered to 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, a part of the 6th SS Panzer Army, which was assigned to capture and overrun U.S. positions with the objective of capturing the port city of Antwerp.
The 6th SS, one of three German armies taking part of the offensive, was designated the northernmost attack force, with the offensive's primary objective of capturing Antwerp entrusted to it.
The center formation consisted of the 5th Panzer Army, tasked with trying to capture Brussels via Bastogne and St. Vith, Belgium. The German 7th Army spearheaded the attack through Luxembourg.
Peiper's column slammed into Belgium during the early morning of Dec. 16, surprising the U.S. defenders, Cavanagh said. As word of the attack spread, Peiper's tank and halftracks encountered stiff resistance from 99th Infantry Division. Peiper was forced to change routes several times because of roadblocks and blown bridges.
Combat engineers, tank destroyer teams and the heroic actions of individual soldiers and small units frequently thwarted Peiper's advance.
As Peiper's 15-mile-long column wound its way over the narrow and twisting farm roads, several of his halftracks charged over open ground near a crossroads near the village of Baugnez on Dec. 17, encountering a 13-vehicle convoy of elements from Battery B, 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion. After a brief firefight, 84 U.S. soldiers were rounded up and shot.
That incident became known as the "Malmedy Massacre," and word of the atrocity spread through the U.S. lines and stiffened the Americans' resolve. Elements of 82nd Infantry Division (Airborne) halted Peiper's advance at the town of Stavelot.
Running low on fuel and ammunition, Peiper pulled back to the town of La Gleize to await a resupply column. Realizing that the relief column would never arrive, the German lieutenant colonel ordered his men to destroy their tanks, halftracks and other vehicles and returned to German lines Dec. 23, five days after starting his assault.
Cavanagh explained how stiff resistance by the 1st "Big Red One," 2nd "Warrior" and 99th "Battle Babies" infantry divisions helped stem the Germans' advance and bring an end to the "Watch on the Rhine."
Entrenched U.S. formations along the "International Road" and Elsenborn Ridge forced the Germans to commit and sacrifice many of their infantrymen and expose their armored formations to withering artillery fire, Cavanagh said.
Soldiers of 2nd Infantry Division would earn more Medals of Honor than any other U.S. unit during the fight, and the "Manchus" of 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, fighting at the Rocherather Baracken crossroads saved the entire 1st Army from being overrun, Cavanagh said.
"I hope this ride gives (the garrison staff) great pride in their country, in the past and today," Cavanagh said at the ride's final stop in a memorial park dedicated to 2nd and 99th infantry divisions in the village of Krinkelt. "What (the soldiers) did was give a lot of freedom to a lot of people."
Army Capt. Katherine Baker, of the USAG Kaiserslautern logistics directorate, said she learned several tactical, logistical lessons and to never make assumptions about an enemy.
"Complacency on the side of the Allies almost made Hitler's final offensive a success," she said. "Allied soldiers had a false sense of security that was exploited. There were simple things that could have been done to quickly slow the German advance, but no one had a contingency plan because everyone assumed the Germans could not mount such an attack."
(Dave Melancon works for the U.S. Army Garrison Heidelberg Public Affairs Office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 13, 2007 - Mass formations of German armored vehicles and infantry quietly gathered along the border with Belgium and Luxembourg, preparing for Nazi Germany's last major offensive of World War II. The Ardennes Offensive, more popularly known as the Battle of Bulge, would begin Dec. 16, 1944. The Germans called their operation "Watch on the Rhine."
Sixty-three years later, 45 U.S. Army Garrison Heidelberg leaders and staff members retraced the route of the 6th Panzer Army's thrust into Belgium, seeing where soldiers of the 1st U.S. Army, including those from 5th Corps, thwarted Hitler's plan to split the Allied advance into Germany and capture the port of Antwerp, Belgium.
Along the Bulge's North Shoulder battlefields, the staff learned about acts of great courage and heroism. They also heard of acts of great cruelty and barbarism, explained by historian Will Cavanagh, their guide for the two-day staff ride.
"Remember that these people were just people. Some were good; some were better than others," said Army Col. Robert Ulses, USAG Heidelberg commander, during the first day's studies. "These people were running huge organizations."
Cavanagh, who has led staff rides since 1986, recalled hearing about the battle from his mother, who lived in the area during the attack, and from personal interviews with U.S. and German veterans.
"Mr. Cavanagh made this significant event of World War II come alive with his extensive knowledge of battle details and firsthand accounts of participating soldiers -- Allied and German," said Anita Johnson, of the USAG Heidelberg plans, analysis and integration office. "As a result, the Battle of the Bulge became real and not just another page in the history books."
Being able to walk the battlefields, she added, "to slog through the mud, rain and cold, and to listen to the human perspective that (Cavanagh) added to the battle details, brought home to me that these were real people fighting under grim conditions for a cause they believed in," she said.
The staff ride's first day concentrated on the assault route followed by Kampfgruppe (combat team) Peiper, led by Waffen-SS Lt. Col. Joachim Peiper, a former adjutant to Heinrich Himmler and the youngest regimental commander in the German army.
Peiper's column was ordered to 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, a part of the 6th SS Panzer Army, which was assigned to capture and overrun U.S. positions with the objective of capturing the port city of Antwerp.
The 6th SS, one of three German armies taking part of the offensive, was designated the northernmost attack force, with the offensive's primary objective of capturing Antwerp entrusted to it.
The center formation consisted of the 5th Panzer Army, tasked with trying to capture Brussels via Bastogne and St. Vith, Belgium. The German 7th Army spearheaded the attack through Luxembourg.
Peiper's column slammed into Belgium during the early morning of Dec. 16, surprising the U.S. defenders, Cavanagh said. As word of the attack spread, Peiper's tank and halftracks encountered stiff resistance from 99th Infantry Division. Peiper was forced to change routes several times because of roadblocks and blown bridges.
Combat engineers, tank destroyer teams and the heroic actions of individual soldiers and small units frequently thwarted Peiper's advance.
As Peiper's 15-mile-long column wound its way over the narrow and twisting farm roads, several of his halftracks charged over open ground near a crossroads near the village of Baugnez on Dec. 17, encountering a 13-vehicle convoy of elements from Battery B, 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion. After a brief firefight, 84 U.S. soldiers were rounded up and shot.
That incident became known as the "Malmedy Massacre," and word of the atrocity spread through the U.S. lines and stiffened the Americans' resolve. Elements of 82nd Infantry Division (Airborne) halted Peiper's advance at the town of Stavelot.
Running low on fuel and ammunition, Peiper pulled back to the town of La Gleize to await a resupply column. Realizing that the relief column would never arrive, the German lieutenant colonel ordered his men to destroy their tanks, halftracks and other vehicles and returned to German lines Dec. 23, five days after starting his assault.
Cavanagh explained how stiff resistance by the 1st "Big Red One," 2nd "Warrior" and 99th "Battle Babies" infantry divisions helped stem the Germans' advance and bring an end to the "Watch on the Rhine."
Entrenched U.S. formations along the "International Road" and Elsenborn Ridge forced the Germans to commit and sacrifice many of their infantrymen and expose their armored formations to withering artillery fire, Cavanagh said.
Soldiers of 2nd Infantry Division would earn more Medals of Honor than any other U.S. unit during the fight, and the "Manchus" of 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, fighting at the Rocherather Baracken crossroads saved the entire 1st Army from being overrun, Cavanagh said.
"I hope this ride gives (the garrison staff) great pride in their country, in the past and today," Cavanagh said at the ride's final stop in a memorial park dedicated to 2nd and 99th infantry divisions in the village of Krinkelt. "What (the soldiers) did was give a lot of freedom to a lot of people."
Army Capt. Katherine Baker, of the USAG Kaiserslautern logistics directorate, said she learned several tactical, logistical lessons and to never make assumptions about an enemy.
"Complacency on the side of the Allies almost made Hitler's final offensive a success," she said. "Allied soldiers had a false sense of security that was exploited. There were simple things that could have been done to quickly slow the German advance, but no one had a contingency plan because everyone assumed the Germans could not mount such an attack."
(Dave Melancon works for the U.S. Army Garrison Heidelberg Public Affairs Office.)
Wounded Warrior Program Provides Enduring Support to Families
By Kristen Noel
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 13, 2007 - There's no set limit on how long the U.S. Army Wounded Warrior program will provide one-on-one service to severely wounded soldiers and their families, a U.S. Army official said yesterday. "We assist and advocate for severely wounded soldiers and their families for as long as they need us, wherever they are located," Army Col. James Rice, the Wounded Warrior program's director, said in a conference call with online journalists and "bloggers."
The Wounded Warrior program is for soldiers who are considered 30 percent or more disabled, as found by the Army disability system, to ensure their families receive all the benefits and support they are entitled to, Rice explained.
The 30-percent threshold is based on the level of disability rating above which soldiers and their families can maintain the Tricare retirement benefit, he said.
Almost 2,400 injured soldiers are enrolled in the program. Each is assigned a soldier-family management specialist – the equivalent of a case manager – "who gives them personalized recovery assistance in navigating government and nonprofit organizations on their behalf to ensure they get the help and support their families need," Rice said.
"We make the connection as soon as that soldier arrives at a treatment facility, and our soldier-family management specialist – our care manager – establishes a relationship with that solider and family that continues as long as it takes," he explained.
Support continues even after the soldier leaves the hospital and either continues on active duty or departs the service. "We're still with them to help them through vocational rehabilitation, through the education process and ensuring that they are fully employed to the greatest extent possible so that they're integral members of their community," he said.
The program's staff of about 100 includes soldier-family management specialists who are dispersed throughout the United States to accommodate soldiers and families in person. "Wherever there is a significant population of wounded warriors, we have a soldier-family management specialist on the ground," Rice said.
This decentralization of the Wounded Warrior program is its most significant change in recent years, according to Rice.
The program has existed since 2004, initially under the name "Disabled Soldiers Support System," and historically only provided support from its headquarters in Alexandria, Va., Rice explained.
He added that the Wounded Warrior program is part of a larger Army initiative focused on providing more comprehensive medical services to soldiers and their families.
"We are in the forefront of an important transformation that is building the health care model for the future for the military's wounded warriors," he said.
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 13, 2007 - There's no set limit on how long the U.S. Army Wounded Warrior program will provide one-on-one service to severely wounded soldiers and their families, a U.S. Army official said yesterday. "We assist and advocate for severely wounded soldiers and their families for as long as they need us, wherever they are located," Army Col. James Rice, the Wounded Warrior program's director, said in a conference call with online journalists and "bloggers."
The Wounded Warrior program is for soldiers who are considered 30 percent or more disabled, as found by the Army disability system, to ensure their families receive all the benefits and support they are entitled to, Rice explained.
The 30-percent threshold is based on the level of disability rating above which soldiers and their families can maintain the Tricare retirement benefit, he said.
Almost 2,400 injured soldiers are enrolled in the program. Each is assigned a soldier-family management specialist – the equivalent of a case manager – "who gives them personalized recovery assistance in navigating government and nonprofit organizations on their behalf to ensure they get the help and support their families need," Rice said.
"We make the connection as soon as that soldier arrives at a treatment facility, and our soldier-family management specialist – our care manager – establishes a relationship with that solider and family that continues as long as it takes," he explained.
Support continues even after the soldier leaves the hospital and either continues on active duty or departs the service. "We're still with them to help them through vocational rehabilitation, through the education process and ensuring that they are fully employed to the greatest extent possible so that they're integral members of their community," he said.
The program's staff of about 100 includes soldier-family management specialists who are dispersed throughout the United States to accommodate soldiers and families in person. "Wherever there is a significant population of wounded warriors, we have a soldier-family management specialist on the ground," Rice said.
This decentralization of the Wounded Warrior program is its most significant change in recent years, according to Rice.
The program has existed since 2004, initially under the name "Disabled Soldiers Support System," and historically only provided support from its headquarters in Alexandria, Va., Rice explained.
He added that the Wounded Warrior program is part of a larger Army initiative focused on providing more comprehensive medical services to soldiers and their families.
"We are in the forefront of an important transformation that is building the health care model for the future for the military's wounded warriors," he said.
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Navy's Medical Support Vital to Operations, Surgeon General Says
By Sgt. Sara Moore, USA
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 6, 2007 - Throughout the Middle East, the U.S. Navy provides vital medical support to U.S. troops serving in the war on terror, the Navy surgeon general said today during a visit to the region. Navy Vice Adm. Adam M. Robinson Jr. spoke to online journalists and "bloggers" from Iraq, where he was midway into a trip touring medical facilities in the region. Robinson has visited U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, in Bahrain; Camp Arifjan, Kuwait; and Camp Buehring, Kuwait, which is 50 miles from the Iraqi border.
In Camp Arifijan, Robinson visited the 44-bed U.S. Military Hospital Kuwait, staffed by Expeditionary Medical Facility Kuwait, which includes about 370 Navy medical personnel from 30 different health care facilities. Medical professionals there provide care to the 20,000 coalition forces in Kuwait using modular shelters that are set up in less than 48 hours.
"By providing world-class medical care to the U.S. Army Central and the 1st Sustainment Command, which has command and control of logistics in the entire (U.S. Central Command area of responsibility), Expeditionary Medical Facility Kuwait is playing a vital role in supplying and sustaining combat operations," Robinson said.
In Camp Arifjan, Robinson said his staff also toured the warrior transition mall, which is offered to all Navy individual augmentees returning from Iraq or Afghanistan. The warrior transition mall gives sailors three to five days to acclimate out of combat operations and decompress, he said. Multidisciplinary teams of health professionals, including mental health professionals and chaplains, screen the troops for any operational stress issues that may be confronted as they return home.
Camp Buehring serves as the last training and staging base for tens of thousands of Iraqi-bound troops, and Expeditionary Medical Facility Kuwait provides primary care to about 10,000 soldiers there, Robinson said.
This weekend, Robinson and his staff are flying to Landstuhl, Germany, to observe the medical system and the casualty evacuation system, he said. Landstuhl Regional Medical Center can accommodate 75 seriously wounded servicemembers airlifted from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan and is just a part of the continuum of care for those wounded in combat, he said.
"Combat casualty care is a continuum of care, which begins with the corpsmen in the field, alongside whatever warrior is there. In this instance, corpsmen are always with our Marines," Robinson said. "It progresses to forward resuscitative care units, which are in theater, and it culminates in care provided through en-route care of our patients as they're evacuated to the rear and our military hospitals."
Robinson said the Navy has plenty of medical professionals to treat combat veterans. The service's challenge is to properly screen troops for physical or mental problems and make sure they get treatment they need, he said.
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 6, 2007 - Throughout the Middle East, the U.S. Navy provides vital medical support to U.S. troops serving in the war on terror, the Navy surgeon general said today during a visit to the region. Navy Vice Adm. Adam M. Robinson Jr. spoke to online journalists and "bloggers" from Iraq, where he was midway into a trip touring medical facilities in the region. Robinson has visited U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, in Bahrain; Camp Arifjan, Kuwait; and Camp Buehring, Kuwait, which is 50 miles from the Iraqi border.
In Camp Arifijan, Robinson visited the 44-bed U.S. Military Hospital Kuwait, staffed by Expeditionary Medical Facility Kuwait, which includes about 370 Navy medical personnel from 30 different health care facilities. Medical professionals there provide care to the 20,000 coalition forces in Kuwait using modular shelters that are set up in less than 48 hours.
"By providing world-class medical care to the U.S. Army Central and the 1st Sustainment Command, which has command and control of logistics in the entire (U.S. Central Command area of responsibility), Expeditionary Medical Facility Kuwait is playing a vital role in supplying and sustaining combat operations," Robinson said.
In Camp Arifjan, Robinson said his staff also toured the warrior transition mall, which is offered to all Navy individual augmentees returning from Iraq or Afghanistan. The warrior transition mall gives sailors three to five days to acclimate out of combat operations and decompress, he said. Multidisciplinary teams of health professionals, including mental health professionals and chaplains, screen the troops for any operational stress issues that may be confronted as they return home.
Camp Buehring serves as the last training and staging base for tens of thousands of Iraqi-bound troops, and Expeditionary Medical Facility Kuwait provides primary care to about 10,000 soldiers there, Robinson said.
This weekend, Robinson and his staff are flying to Landstuhl, Germany, to observe the medical system and the casualty evacuation system, he said. Landstuhl Regional Medical Center can accommodate 75 seriously wounded servicemembers airlifted from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan and is just a part of the continuum of care for those wounded in combat, he said.
"Combat casualty care is a continuum of care, which begins with the corpsmen in the field, alongside whatever warrior is there. In this instance, corpsmen are always with our Marines," Robinson said. "It progresses to forward resuscitative care units, which are in theater, and it culminates in care provided through en-route care of our patients as they're evacuated to the rear and our military hospitals."
Robinson said the Navy has plenty of medical professionals to treat combat veterans. The service's challenge is to properly screen troops for physical or mental problems and make sure they get treatment they need, he said.
Marine Missing From Korean War is Identified
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
He is Pfc. Donald M. Walker, U.S. Marine Corps, of Springfield, Ky. He will be buried Dec. 7 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.
Walker was assigned to the Service Company, 1st Service Battalion, of the 1st Marine Division deployed near the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. On Nov. 27, 1950, three Communist Chinese divisions launched an attack on the Marine positions. Over the next several days, U.S. forces staged a fighting withdrawal to the south, first to Hagaru-ri, then Koto-ri, and eventually to defensive positions at Hungnam. Walker died on Dec. 7, 1950, as a result of enemy action near Koto-ri. He was buried by fellow Marines in a temporary United Nations military cemetery in Hungnam, which fell to the North Koreans in December 1950. His identity was later verified from a fingerprint taken at the time of the burial.
During Operation Glory in 1954, the North Korean government repatriated the remains of 2,944 U.S. soldiers and Marines. Included in this repatriation were remains associated with Walker's burial. The staff at the U.S. Army Mortuary in Kokura, Japan, however, cited suspected discrepancies between the biological profile from the remains and Walker's physical characteristics. The remains were among 416 from Operation Glory subsequently buried as "unknowns" in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (The Punchbowl) in Hawaii.
In April 2007, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command exhumed remains from The Punchbowl believed to be those of Walker. Although the remains did not yield usable DNA data, a reevaluation of the skeletal and dental remains led to Walker's identification.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
He is Pfc. Donald M. Walker, U.S. Marine Corps, of Springfield, Ky. He will be buried Dec. 7 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.
Walker was assigned to the Service Company, 1st Service Battalion, of the 1st Marine Division deployed near the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. On Nov. 27, 1950, three Communist Chinese divisions launched an attack on the Marine positions. Over the next several days, U.S. forces staged a fighting withdrawal to the south, first to Hagaru-ri, then Koto-ri, and eventually to defensive positions at Hungnam. Walker died on Dec. 7, 1950, as a result of enemy action near Koto-ri. He was buried by fellow Marines in a temporary United Nations military cemetery in Hungnam, which fell to the North Koreans in December 1950. His identity was later verified from a fingerprint taken at the time of the burial.
During Operation Glory in 1954, the North Korean government repatriated the remains of 2,944 U.S. soldiers and Marines. Included in this repatriation were remains associated with Walker's burial. The staff at the U.S. Army Mortuary in Kokura, Japan, however, cited suspected discrepancies between the biological profile from the remains and Walker's physical characteristics. The remains were among 416 from Operation Glory subsequently buried as "unknowns" in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (The Punchbowl) in Hawaii.
In April 2007, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command exhumed remains from The Punchbowl believed to be those of Walker. Although the remains did not yield usable DNA data, a reevaluation of the skeletal and dental remains led to Walker's identification.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Soldier Missing from Korean War is Identified
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
He is 1st Lt. Dixie S. Parker, U.S. Army, of Green Pond, Ala. He will be buried Dec. 6 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.
Representatives from the Army met with Parker's next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process, and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the secretary of the Army.
Parker was assigned to Battery B, 8th Field Artillery Battalion, 25th Infantry Division then occupying a defensive position overlooking the Kuryong River in P'yongan-Pukto Province, North Korea. On Nov. 27, 1950, Parker was killed in his foxhole while serving as a forward artillery observer. His body was not recovered.
In 2000, a joint U.S./Democratic People's Republic of Korea team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), excavated a site overlooking the Kuryong River in P'yongan-Pukto Province where U.S. soldiers were believed to be buried. The team recovered human remains and non-biological evidence including Parker's identification tags and first lieutenant rank insignia.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in the identification of Parker's remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
He is 1st Lt. Dixie S. Parker, U.S. Army, of Green Pond, Ala. He will be buried Dec. 6 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.
Representatives from the Army met with Parker's next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process, and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the secretary of the Army.
Parker was assigned to Battery B, 8th Field Artillery Battalion, 25th Infantry Division then occupying a defensive position overlooking the Kuryong River in P'yongan-Pukto Province, North Korea. On Nov. 27, 1950, Parker was killed in his foxhole while serving as a forward artillery observer. His body was not recovered.
In 2000, a joint U.S./Democratic People's Republic of Korea team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), excavated a site overlooking the Kuryong River in P'yongan-Pukto Province where U.S. soldiers were believed to be buried. The team recovered human remains and non-biological evidence including Parker's identification tags and first lieutenant rank insignia.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in the identification of Parker's remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Contributing Writer Discusses Counterinsurgency Manual
Editor’s Note: A copy is available here Counter Insurgency Manual
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 14, 2007 - A contributor to the Counterinsurgency Field Manual yesterday discussed the doctrine that codifies how the U.S. military can most effectively conduct asymmetric warfare. The doctrine, officially titled U.S. Army Field Manual 3-24 and Marine Corps Warfighting Publication 3-33.5, is a unique joint effort published in December 2006 by the two branches to help military and civilian operators face challenges posed by insurgencies that blend with civilian populations.
"In order to win that kind of war, in order to create security and stability in that environment, you cannot kill or capture your way to success," said Army Lt. Col. John A Nagl, a member of the writing team that penned the manual.
"What you have to do to defeat that kind of insurgency, to borrow Mao (Zedong's) phrase, is you have to drain the swamp: that is, decrease the number of people who support the ends of the insurgency," he said. "And the way you do that is by increasing the number of people who support the government and the coalition."
From September 2003 through September 2004, Nagl served as operations officer of 1st Battalion, 34th Armor, in Khalidiyah, Iraq, a city between Ramadi and Fallujah in Anbar province, then one of the country's most contentious regions.
Nagl said the insurgency there comprised one half of 1 percent of the population, equaling roughly 300 people who "actively wanted to kill us." The soldier's tank battalion task force numbered some 800, he said. By conventional logic, the conflict should have resulted in an unequivocal Army victory, but "those 300 were swimming in a sea of people," Nagl said.
The field manual emphasizes the roles of other U.S. government agencies in separating insurgents from civilians. It underscores that among such elements, a "unity of effort" -- the title of the manual's second chapter -- is vital in waging a successful counterinsurgency.
"All elements of the United States government ... must be integrated into the effort to build stable and secure societies that can secure their own borders and do not provide safe havens for terrorists," according to the field manual's foreword, written by Nagl, who now commands 1st Battalion, 34th Armor, at Fort Riley, Kan.
Nagl said the demand for codified doctrine was sorely needed by a U.S. military more prepared for conventional than asymmetric warfare. "It is not unfair to say that in 2003 most Army officers likely knew more about the U.S. Civil War than they did about counterinsurgency," the foreword says.
The notion that U.S. forces were not thoroughly trained in counterinsurgency strategy was echoed by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates in a speech Oct. 10.
"Consider that in 1985 the core curriculum for the Army's 10-month Command and General Staff College assigned 30 hours -- about four days -- for what was is now called low-intensity conflict," Gates told the audience at the Association of the U.S. Army conference.
"This approach may have seemed validated by ultimate victory in the Cold War and the triumph of Desert Storm," he said, "but it left the service unprepared to deal with the operations that followed in Somalia, Haiti, the Balkans, and more recently Afghanistan and Iraq, the consequences and costs of which we are still struggling with today."
Gates called the counterinsurgency manual a milestone and added that the value of its tenants have been validated by recent progress in Iraq.
The manual was the culmination of efforts by a diverse group that includes academics, human rights advocates, representatives from journalism and non-governmental organizations, and top military strategists, including then-Army Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus, now a four-star general and the commander of Multinational Force Iraq.
By all accounts, the 419-page field manual has been widely embraced. Not only was the manual downloaded more than 2 million times within two months of its release, but copies have even been discovered on Jihadi Web sites and in Taliban training camps in Pakistan.
Last year, the State Department hosted an interagency counterinsurgency conference that built a consensus behind the need for an interagency counterinsurgency manual, according to the field manual. In addition, the French government has expressed interest in partnering with the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany in a multilateral effort to frame counterinsurgency guidelines in an international context.
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 14, 2007 - A contributor to the Counterinsurgency Field Manual yesterday discussed the doctrine that codifies how the U.S. military can most effectively conduct asymmetric warfare. The doctrine, officially titled U.S. Army Field Manual 3-24 and Marine Corps Warfighting Publication 3-33.5, is a unique joint effort published in December 2006 by the two branches to help military and civilian operators face challenges posed by insurgencies that blend with civilian populations.
"In order to win that kind of war, in order to create security and stability in that environment, you cannot kill or capture your way to success," said Army Lt. Col. John A Nagl, a member of the writing team that penned the manual.
"What you have to do to defeat that kind of insurgency, to borrow Mao (Zedong's) phrase, is you have to drain the swamp: that is, decrease the number of people who support the ends of the insurgency," he said. "And the way you do that is by increasing the number of people who support the government and the coalition."
From September 2003 through September 2004, Nagl served as operations officer of 1st Battalion, 34th Armor, in Khalidiyah, Iraq, a city between Ramadi and Fallujah in Anbar province, then one of the country's most contentious regions.
Nagl said the insurgency there comprised one half of 1 percent of the population, equaling roughly 300 people who "actively wanted to kill us." The soldier's tank battalion task force numbered some 800, he said. By conventional logic, the conflict should have resulted in an unequivocal Army victory, but "those 300 were swimming in a sea of people," Nagl said.
The field manual emphasizes the roles of other U.S. government agencies in separating insurgents from civilians. It underscores that among such elements, a "unity of effort" -- the title of the manual's second chapter -- is vital in waging a successful counterinsurgency.
"All elements of the United States government ... must be integrated into the effort to build stable and secure societies that can secure their own borders and do not provide safe havens for terrorists," according to the field manual's foreword, written by Nagl, who now commands 1st Battalion, 34th Armor, at Fort Riley, Kan.
Nagl said the demand for codified doctrine was sorely needed by a U.S. military more prepared for conventional than asymmetric warfare. "It is not unfair to say that in 2003 most Army officers likely knew more about the U.S. Civil War than they did about counterinsurgency," the foreword says.
The notion that U.S. forces were not thoroughly trained in counterinsurgency strategy was echoed by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates in a speech Oct. 10.
"Consider that in 1985 the core curriculum for the Army's 10-month Command and General Staff College assigned 30 hours -- about four days -- for what was is now called low-intensity conflict," Gates told the audience at the Association of the U.S. Army conference.
"This approach may have seemed validated by ultimate victory in the Cold War and the triumph of Desert Storm," he said, "but it left the service unprepared to deal with the operations that followed in Somalia, Haiti, the Balkans, and more recently Afghanistan and Iraq, the consequences and costs of which we are still struggling with today."
Gates called the counterinsurgency manual a milestone and added that the value of its tenants have been validated by recent progress in Iraq.
The manual was the culmination of efforts by a diverse group that includes academics, human rights advocates, representatives from journalism and non-governmental organizations, and top military strategists, including then-Army Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus, now a four-star general and the commander of Multinational Force Iraq.
By all accounts, the 419-page field manual has been widely embraced. Not only was the manual downloaded more than 2 million times within two months of its release, but copies have even been discovered on Jihadi Web sites and in Taliban training camps in Pakistan.
Last year, the State Department hosted an interagency counterinsurgency conference that built a consensus behind the need for an interagency counterinsurgency manual, according to the field manual. In addition, the French government has expressed interest in partnering with the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany in a multilateral effort to frame counterinsurgency guidelines in an international context.
Friday, November 09, 2007
Face of Defense: Former Sergeant Major of the Army Still Serves
By Beth Reece
Special to American Forces Press Service
Nov. 9, 2007 - Jack L. Tilley left the Army twice -- first after a tour in Vietnam, then again in 2004. But he still thinks he's a soldier. “You can't just all of a sudden say, 'I quit.' You can't get it out of your heart," the former sergeant major of the Army said.
Tilley retired as the Army's senior enlisted soldier in January 2004 after 35 years of service. He championed pay raises, saw the fielding of the black beret, and comforted soldiers and families after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the Pentagon.
Still a man of action three years into retirement, he is the senior enlisted advisor to the sergeant major of the Afghan National Army and serves on the U.S. Army's retirement board and the secretary of veterans affairs' special advisory committee for operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
Tilley also supports soldiers through the American Freedom Foundation, which is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program that spotlights Americans' support of servicemembers.
Seeing the pain and startling motivation of wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here moved Tilley to create the American Freedom Foundation, which raises money and awareness for veterans organizations helping soldiers wounded in the war on terror.
"I went to the hospital and talked to veterans, talked to wounded warriors, and it absolutely broke my heart," he said. "But it's sad for me, not them. They're all motivated and pumped up; they want to do things and get on with their lives."
Tilley gives motivational speeches and classes on team building and leader-development, focusing on something he said soldiers often take for granted. "The civilian sector needs people with a lot of leadership experience. You look at a guy like me, ... I came into the service at age 17 and went straight to Vietnam. I've been a battalion, brigade and division sergeant major, moved a lot of troops and trained troops," he said. "The civilian sector needs our knowledge and expertise."
Without discounting the value of formal education, Tilley maintains that experience turns soldiers into leaders. "The way to be a good leader is to be a leader. From what I've seen, development comes with time," he said.
During a recent presentation in Pennsylvania, Tilley spoke about things that have touched his life: war, family separation, God, and the fact that America has seen about 3,800 soldiers killed and 27,000 wounded in the war on terrorism.
"Then I got them to close their eyes and listen to a song from Lonestar, called 'Message from Home.' Everybody cried," he said. "My point to them was that we need to not just talk about things. Don't just talk about taking care of soldiers. Take care of them; show them your support," he said.
Tilley said he's deeply concerned about post-traumatic stress disorder and mild traumatic brain injuries plaguing today's combat veterans. "I don't think we really know the damage we've done to the Army, and I don't think we'll know for years," he said. "But the Army will get through it."
He also said he's a fan of the Army's current focus on families. "Families are taking so much stress right now. I think our country needs to be more aware of the things they're sacrificing for us. ... My spouse was just as much a soldier as I was."
When Tilley left the Army after Vietnam and began work at a paneling factory, he still felt drawn to the military. He couldn't drive by a recruiting station without going in just to talk. And while in Seattle, he visited Fort Lewis just to watch soldiers train. "I got out of the Army, but the Army was still in me," he said.
Eventually a recruiter called Tilley to say he had one week left to rejoin and retain his rank of staff sergeant. "The next morning I was down there signing up," he said.
Tilley said he credits dumb luck for his selection as the 12th sergeant major of the Army. "You look at guys like SMA (Richard) Kidd and SMA (Robert) Hall, ... they were my idols. To say I was as good as they were, that was a big step," he said.
(Beth Reece works for the Soldiers Media Center.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Nov. 9, 2007 - Jack L. Tilley left the Army twice -- first after a tour in Vietnam, then again in 2004. But he still thinks he's a soldier. “You can't just all of a sudden say, 'I quit.' You can't get it out of your heart," the former sergeant major of the Army said.
Tilley retired as the Army's senior enlisted soldier in January 2004 after 35 years of service. He championed pay raises, saw the fielding of the black beret, and comforted soldiers and families after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the Pentagon.
Still a man of action three years into retirement, he is the senior enlisted advisor to the sergeant major of the Afghan National Army and serves on the U.S. Army's retirement board and the secretary of veterans affairs' special advisory committee for operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
Tilley also supports soldiers through the American Freedom Foundation, which is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program that spotlights Americans' support of servicemembers.
Seeing the pain and startling motivation of wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here moved Tilley to create the American Freedom Foundation, which raises money and awareness for veterans organizations helping soldiers wounded in the war on terror.
"I went to the hospital and talked to veterans, talked to wounded warriors, and it absolutely broke my heart," he said. "But it's sad for me, not them. They're all motivated and pumped up; they want to do things and get on with their lives."
Tilley gives motivational speeches and classes on team building and leader-development, focusing on something he said soldiers often take for granted. "The civilian sector needs people with a lot of leadership experience. You look at a guy like me, ... I came into the service at age 17 and went straight to Vietnam. I've been a battalion, brigade and division sergeant major, moved a lot of troops and trained troops," he said. "The civilian sector needs our knowledge and expertise."
Without discounting the value of formal education, Tilley maintains that experience turns soldiers into leaders. "The way to be a good leader is to be a leader. From what I've seen, development comes with time," he said.
During a recent presentation in Pennsylvania, Tilley spoke about things that have touched his life: war, family separation, God, and the fact that America has seen about 3,800 soldiers killed and 27,000 wounded in the war on terrorism.
"Then I got them to close their eyes and listen to a song from Lonestar, called 'Message from Home.' Everybody cried," he said. "My point to them was that we need to not just talk about things. Don't just talk about taking care of soldiers. Take care of them; show them your support," he said.
Tilley said he's deeply concerned about post-traumatic stress disorder and mild traumatic brain injuries plaguing today's combat veterans. "I don't think we really know the damage we've done to the Army, and I don't think we'll know for years," he said. "But the Army will get through it."
He also said he's a fan of the Army's current focus on families. "Families are taking so much stress right now. I think our country needs to be more aware of the things they're sacrificing for us. ... My spouse was just as much a soldier as I was."
When Tilley left the Army after Vietnam and began work at a paneling factory, he still felt drawn to the military. He couldn't drive by a recruiting station without going in just to talk. And while in Seattle, he visited Fort Lewis just to watch soldiers train. "I got out of the Army, but the Army was still in me," he said.
Eventually a recruiter called Tilley to say he had one week left to rejoin and retain his rank of staff sergeant. "The next morning I was down there signing up," he said.
Tilley said he credits dumb luck for his selection as the 12th sergeant major of the Army. "You look at guys like SMA (Richard) Kidd and SMA (Robert) Hall, ... they were my idols. To say I was as good as they were, that was a big step," he said.
(Beth Reece works for the Soldiers Media Center.)
Soldier Missing in Action from the Korean War is Identified
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
He is Cpl. Clem R. Boody, U.S. Army, of Independence, Iowa. His burial date and location are being set by his family.
Representatives from the Army met with Boody's next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process, and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.
In November 1950, Boody was assigned to Headquarters Company, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division then occupying a defensive position near Unsan, North Korea north of a bend in the Kuryong River known as the Camel's Head. On Nov. 1, parts of two Chinese Communist Divisions struck the 1st Cavalry Division's lines, collapsing the perimeter and forcing a withdrawal. Boody was reported missing on Nov. 2, 1950 and was one of the more than 350 servicemen unaccounted-for from the battle at Unsan.
In April 2007, the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea (D.P.R.K.), acting through the intermediary of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and former U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony Principi, repatriated to the United States six boxes of human remains believed to be those of U.S. soldiers. The D.P.R.K. reported that the remains were excavated in November 2006 near Unsan in North Pyongan Province.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in the identification of Boody's remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
He is Cpl. Clem R. Boody, U.S. Army, of Independence, Iowa. His burial date and location are being set by his family.
Representatives from the Army met with Boody's next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process, and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.
In November 1950, Boody was assigned to Headquarters Company, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division then occupying a defensive position near Unsan, North Korea north of a bend in the Kuryong River known as the Camel's Head. On Nov. 1, parts of two Chinese Communist Divisions struck the 1st Cavalry Division's lines, collapsing the perimeter and forcing a withdrawal. Boody was reported missing on Nov. 2, 1950 and was one of the more than 350 servicemen unaccounted-for from the battle at Unsan.
In April 2007, the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea (D.P.R.K.), acting through the intermediary of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and former U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony Principi, repatriated to the United States six boxes of human remains believed to be those of U.S. soldiers. The D.P.R.K. reported that the remains were excavated in November 2006 near Unsan in North Pyongan Province.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in the identification of Boody's remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Pentagon Honors Supporters of Disabled-Veteran-Owned Firms
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 6, 2007 - A group of entrepreneurs and department acquisition officials earned praise from Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England at a Pentagon award ceremony yesterday for their support of disabled-veteran-led businesses. Nineteen organizations and individuals were honored at the first Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business Awards ceremony for their support of Presidential Executive Order 13360, which calls for the department to increase contracts and subcontracts for service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses.
"The military cannot perform their mission without great civilians and great companies behind the lines," England told the award recipients, who each received a framed certificate signed by Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology James I. Finley.
The Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Office was established at the Pentagon by an October 2004 presidential executive order and previous legislation, Anthony R. Martoccia, the Defense Department's director of small business programs, told reporters during an earlier roundtable meeting at the Pentagon.
Nearly 11,000 companies are registered in the SDVOSB program today, Martoccia said. Last year, disabled-veteran-owned small businesses accounted for $1.7 billion in government contracts, he added.
The SDVOSB program is geared toward helping disabled veterans establish second careers as entrepreneurs who do business with the Defense Department, Martoccia explained. The program, he noted, is open to disabled veterans from all the nation's wars and all branches of the military service.
Recipients of the "Golden Talon" award are acquisition officials who worked to increase the number of disabled-veteran-led firms that do business with the Defense Department, England explained at the ceremony.
Prime Subcontracting Award recipients are recognized for their work in hiring firms headed by injured military veterans.
Small, disabled-veteran-led businesses honored at the event provide expertise, products and services in the realms of biometrics, information technology, intelligence, counterinsurgency, counter-improvised-explosive-devices and other areas, England said.
"Their performance has been superb and their companies continue to grow," the deputy defense secretary said.
The disabled veterans who run small companies "have conquered not just the risky business world, but they did it despite the added burden of their service-related disabilities," England pointed out.
The award categories and individual awardees include:
Service-Disabled Veterans Owned Small Business
-- HMS Technologies Inc., Martinsburg, W.Va.;
-- J.M. Waller Associates Inc., Burke, Va.;
-- Landmark Technology Inc., Fairfax, Va.;
-- M1 Support Services, Denton, Texas;
-- New World Solutions Inc., Chantilly, Va.;
-- Oak Grove Technologies, Raleigh, N.C.;
-- Oberon Associates Inc., Manassas, Va.; and
-- Quality Support Inc., Landover, Md.;
"Golden Talon" Awards
-- Jack Beecher, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers;
-- Defense Contract Management Agency Procurement Center;
-- LaVerne Johnson, Defense Logistics Agency;
-- Kathleen Lockhart, Department of the Navy;
-- Carol Ann Reichling, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; and
-- Reggie Selby, Department of the Air Force.
Prime Subcontracting Awards
-- Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., McLean, Va.;
-- CACI International Inc., Arlington, Va.;
-- Electronic Data Systems Corporation, Herndon, Va.;
-- Environmental Chemical Corporation, Burlingame, Calif.; and
-- L3 Communications Titan Group, Reston, Va.
Retired Air Force Col. Charles W. Scott, the president and chairman of the board of SDVOSB award recipient J.M. Waller Associates Inc. based in Burke, Va., said military veterans bring a lot to the table when doing business with the Defense Department.
"You understand the (military) culture, you understand the 'language' and you understand how to do business," Scott pointed out. "And, you usually bring a skill set that's needed by the Department of Defense, or you wouldn't have been a part of it to start with."
Talon Award recipient Air Force civilian employee Reggie E. Selby is a small business specialist at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. Enlisting small companies owned by service-disabled veterans to work with the Defense Department is good business and the right thing to do, Selby said.
"Those are the companies that are owned by the members of our society that really put their lives on the line and some have suffered the consequences of that," Selby said. "My goal is to support the program to the utmost of my ability."
Supporting small businesses owned by service-disabled veterans "is a real passion for us," said Paul M. Cofoni, president and chief executive officer of CACI International Inc. based in Arlington, Va. About 70 percent of CACI's business, Cofoni said, is with the Defense Department.
"We have great respect for veterans, and especially, disabled veterans," Cofoni, a former Army officer said. CACI actively seeks to hire disabled military veterans, Cofoni said, and sponsors a program that signs on veteran-owned small businesses subcontracting work.
"It's the least we can do to give back to the people who protect our freedom," Cofoni said.
Another military veteran who attended the award ceremony as a guest is Charles M. Baker, the president and chief executive officer of a Maryland-based electrical contracting company.
Baker is a service-disabled Air Force retiree whose company was nominated for, but didn't receive, a SDVOSB award this year. Nonetheless, he remains intensely supportive of programs that support disabled-veteran-owned small businesses.
The SDVOSB program helps small businesses grow and become sustainable, Baker said. This is good for the nation, he pointed out, because small businesses constitute "the backbone of our economy."
Established in 1999 under Public Law 106-50, the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Program sets a three percent annual goal for all federal prime contracting and subcontracting. In 2003, the program was amended through Public Law 108-183 to include contract set-aside and sole-source authority under certain applicable conditions.
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 6, 2007 - A group of entrepreneurs and department acquisition officials earned praise from Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England at a Pentagon award ceremony yesterday for their support of disabled-veteran-led businesses. Nineteen organizations and individuals were honored at the first Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business Awards ceremony for their support of Presidential Executive Order 13360, which calls for the department to increase contracts and subcontracts for service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses.
"The military cannot perform their mission without great civilians and great companies behind the lines," England told the award recipients, who each received a framed certificate signed by Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology James I. Finley.
The Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Office was established at the Pentagon by an October 2004 presidential executive order and previous legislation, Anthony R. Martoccia, the Defense Department's director of small business programs, told reporters during an earlier roundtable meeting at the Pentagon.
Nearly 11,000 companies are registered in the SDVOSB program today, Martoccia said. Last year, disabled-veteran-owned small businesses accounted for $1.7 billion in government contracts, he added.
The SDVOSB program is geared toward helping disabled veterans establish second careers as entrepreneurs who do business with the Defense Department, Martoccia explained. The program, he noted, is open to disabled veterans from all the nation's wars and all branches of the military service.
Recipients of the "Golden Talon" award are acquisition officials who worked to increase the number of disabled-veteran-led firms that do business with the Defense Department, England explained at the ceremony.
Prime Subcontracting Award recipients are recognized for their work in hiring firms headed by injured military veterans.
Small, disabled-veteran-led businesses honored at the event provide expertise, products and services in the realms of biometrics, information technology, intelligence, counterinsurgency, counter-improvised-explosive-devices and other areas, England said.
"Their performance has been superb and their companies continue to grow," the deputy defense secretary said.
The disabled veterans who run small companies "have conquered not just the risky business world, but they did it despite the added burden of their service-related disabilities," England pointed out.
The award categories and individual awardees include:
Service-Disabled Veterans Owned Small Business
-- HMS Technologies Inc., Martinsburg, W.Va.;
-- J.M. Waller Associates Inc., Burke, Va.;
-- Landmark Technology Inc., Fairfax, Va.;
-- M1 Support Services, Denton, Texas;
-- New World Solutions Inc., Chantilly, Va.;
-- Oak Grove Technologies, Raleigh, N.C.;
-- Oberon Associates Inc., Manassas, Va.; and
-- Quality Support Inc., Landover, Md.;
"Golden Talon" Awards
-- Jack Beecher, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers;
-- Defense Contract Management Agency Procurement Center;
-- LaVerne Johnson, Defense Logistics Agency;
-- Kathleen Lockhart, Department of the Navy;
-- Carol Ann Reichling, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; and
-- Reggie Selby, Department of the Air Force.
Prime Subcontracting Awards
-- Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., McLean, Va.;
-- CACI International Inc., Arlington, Va.;
-- Electronic Data Systems Corporation, Herndon, Va.;
-- Environmental Chemical Corporation, Burlingame, Calif.; and
-- L3 Communications Titan Group, Reston, Va.
Retired Air Force Col. Charles W. Scott, the president and chairman of the board of SDVOSB award recipient J.M. Waller Associates Inc. based in Burke, Va., said military veterans bring a lot to the table when doing business with the Defense Department.
"You understand the (military) culture, you understand the 'language' and you understand how to do business," Scott pointed out. "And, you usually bring a skill set that's needed by the Department of Defense, or you wouldn't have been a part of it to start with."
Talon Award recipient Air Force civilian employee Reggie E. Selby is a small business specialist at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. Enlisting small companies owned by service-disabled veterans to work with the Defense Department is good business and the right thing to do, Selby said.
"Those are the companies that are owned by the members of our society that really put their lives on the line and some have suffered the consequences of that," Selby said. "My goal is to support the program to the utmost of my ability."
Supporting small businesses owned by service-disabled veterans "is a real passion for us," said Paul M. Cofoni, president and chief executive officer of CACI International Inc. based in Arlington, Va. About 70 percent of CACI's business, Cofoni said, is with the Defense Department.
"We have great respect for veterans, and especially, disabled veterans," Cofoni, a former Army officer said. CACI actively seeks to hire disabled military veterans, Cofoni said, and sponsors a program that signs on veteran-owned small businesses subcontracting work.
"It's the least we can do to give back to the people who protect our freedom," Cofoni said.
Another military veteran who attended the award ceremony as a guest is Charles M. Baker, the president and chief executive officer of a Maryland-based electrical contracting company.
Baker is a service-disabled Air Force retiree whose company was nominated for, but didn't receive, a SDVOSB award this year. Nonetheless, he remains intensely supportive of programs that support disabled-veteran-owned small businesses.
The SDVOSB program helps small businesses grow and become sustainable, Baker said. This is good for the nation, he pointed out, because small businesses constitute "the backbone of our economy."
Established in 1999 under Public Law 106-50, the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Program sets a three percent annual goal for all federal prime contracting and subcontracting. In 2003, the program was amended through Public Law 108-183 to include contract set-aside and sole-source authority under certain applicable conditions.
Conference Participant Will Be More Active in Military Support
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 7, 2007 - Ann Brown gripped the handle of a .50-caliber machine gun that appeared to be larger than her slight frame. Peering down the sights, she squeezed off a five-round burst in less than a second.
Taken aback by the sudden burst, Brown, president of a graphic design company in Colorado, looked up as if shocked and then laughed, almost embarrassed. She said she didn't realize it would fire that many rounds so fast. Her companions in the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference quickly, and jokingly, dubbed her "Machine Gun Annie."
"There's a jolt from it, but more than that, I was amazed at how quickly I could shoot out five shots. That really shocked me. Plus, when I realized that each shot can go 3,000 feet, ... that's really scary," Brown said.
Brown is one of nearly 40 civilians who traveled here as part of the JCOC on the first stop of a week-long expedition to U.S. Pacific Command. Today is their second day on the island, and it has been packed with hands-on, adrenaline-pumping activities that would make many civilians envious.
The day started with an overview of U.S. Naval Forces Marianas, which oversees the Navy's largest island base in the Western Pacific. The island is home to more than 160,000 residents and 12,000 servicemembers and families.
The brief was the only "static" part of the day. Afterward, participants were treated to machine-gun firing, a security demonstration complete with a mock would-be suicide bomber, an explosives demonstration using a high-tech robot, and a boat ride zipping across the bay.
The group climbed high onto the captain's deck of the guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen and descended into the depths of the nuclear attack submarine USS Buffalo. They also lunched with sailors.
Brown, president of New Vista Image in Golden, Colo., said she was in awe of the activities and the sailors. "I love all of the adventure and excitement. And then, every once in a while, I have to stop and think about the seriousness of why all of this exists," she said.
She said the dedication and loyalty of the servicemembers made the biggest impression on her. Brown also said she was surprised by the number of servicemembers with families.
"Every single person I've asked has small children. It just tells you that it's more than just the servicemen and women, it's their families as well, who are involved in this," she said.
Because she serves on the board of the U.S. Army War College Foundation, a nonprofit group that works to enrich programs and research activities of the War College, in Carlisle, Pa., Brown said, she is familiar with the Army. She came to the conference to become more familiar with the other branches of service and how they interact. She was nominated to come by a former conference attendee. Before she was nominated, Brown said, she'd never even heard of the conference.
"I had no idea what it is. Most people I talk to have no idea what it is. So I was just excited beyond belief when I heard about it," she said.
Now she is gaining a broader understanding of the Defense Department and its servicemembers. "I didn't know that we had so much ammunition here (in Guam). I didn't realize the strategic importance like I should have," Brown said. "Something that I didn't know I will take back will probably be our scope of operations and how many different ways we protect ourselves with how many different devices and branches and groups (there are)."
In her encounters with the Army, Brown is used to dealing with older officers, because students and faculty at the War College are all lieutenant colonels and above. Here, she was surprised by how young the majority of the servicemembers are. "There is so much responsibility and authority for people in their 20s. That surprised me," she said.
Because of her experiences so far in the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference, Brown said, she will go home with a renewed sense of military support and become more active in creating an awareness of the military, its role and those who serve.
"I think I'm going to be more active than I have been. I've been a little bit low-key about it. But now I have more to say, ... and I belong to some groups where I want to get some military speakers in," she said. "I will be more active when I go back, because I really believe in this."
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 7, 2007 - Ann Brown gripped the handle of a .50-caliber machine gun that appeared to be larger than her slight frame. Peering down the sights, she squeezed off a five-round burst in less than a second.
Taken aback by the sudden burst, Brown, president of a graphic design company in Colorado, looked up as if shocked and then laughed, almost embarrassed. She said she didn't realize it would fire that many rounds so fast. Her companions in the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference quickly, and jokingly, dubbed her "Machine Gun Annie."
"There's a jolt from it, but more than that, I was amazed at how quickly I could shoot out five shots. That really shocked me. Plus, when I realized that each shot can go 3,000 feet, ... that's really scary," Brown said.
Brown is one of nearly 40 civilians who traveled here as part of the JCOC on the first stop of a week-long expedition to U.S. Pacific Command. Today is their second day on the island, and it has been packed with hands-on, adrenaline-pumping activities that would make many civilians envious.
The day started with an overview of U.S. Naval Forces Marianas, which oversees the Navy's largest island base in the Western Pacific. The island is home to more than 160,000 residents and 12,000 servicemembers and families.
The brief was the only "static" part of the day. Afterward, participants were treated to machine-gun firing, a security demonstration complete with a mock would-be suicide bomber, an explosives demonstration using a high-tech robot, and a boat ride zipping across the bay.
The group climbed high onto the captain's deck of the guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen and descended into the depths of the nuclear attack submarine USS Buffalo. They also lunched with sailors.
Brown, president of New Vista Image in Golden, Colo., said she was in awe of the activities and the sailors. "I love all of the adventure and excitement. And then, every once in a while, I have to stop and think about the seriousness of why all of this exists," she said.
She said the dedication and loyalty of the servicemembers made the biggest impression on her. Brown also said she was surprised by the number of servicemembers with families.
"Every single person I've asked has small children. It just tells you that it's more than just the servicemen and women, it's their families as well, who are involved in this," she said.
Because she serves on the board of the U.S. Army War College Foundation, a nonprofit group that works to enrich programs and research activities of the War College, in Carlisle, Pa., Brown said, she is familiar with the Army. She came to the conference to become more familiar with the other branches of service and how they interact. She was nominated to come by a former conference attendee. Before she was nominated, Brown said, she'd never even heard of the conference.
"I had no idea what it is. Most people I talk to have no idea what it is. So I was just excited beyond belief when I heard about it," she said.
Now she is gaining a broader understanding of the Defense Department and its servicemembers. "I didn't know that we had so much ammunition here (in Guam). I didn't realize the strategic importance like I should have," Brown said. "Something that I didn't know I will take back will probably be our scope of operations and how many different ways we protect ourselves with how many different devices and branches and groups (there are)."
In her encounters with the Army, Brown is used to dealing with older officers, because students and faculty at the War College are all lieutenant colonels and above. Here, she was surprised by how young the majority of the servicemembers are. "There is so much responsibility and authority for people in their 20s. That surprised me," she said.
Because of her experiences so far in the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference, Brown said, she will go home with a renewed sense of military support and become more active in creating an awareness of the military, its role and those who serve.
"I think I'm going to be more active than I have been. I've been a little bit low-key about it. But now I have more to say, ... and I belong to some groups where I want to get some military speakers in," she said. "I will be more active when I go back, because I really believe in this."
Bases, Roads Contribute to Security in Afghanistan
By Capt. Ashley Dellavalle, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
Nov. 6, 2007 - U.S. Army engineers are building forward operating bases and roads in support of forces providing security to the people of Afghanistan. Despite harsh conditions due to "moon-dust" -- very fine silt that permeates every crevice at Forward Operating Base Kushamond -- the soldiers of Company A, 864th Engineer Battalion, from Fort Lewis, Wash., are building 24 B-Huts and a C-Hut to allow units from the Polish Battle Group, a battalion-size infantry element, to move into a comfortable "winterized" base before the cold season.
B-huts are semi-permanent wooden structures designed to last three to four years; each houses eight to 10 soldiers. C-Huts are similar, but larger.
These engineer soldiers are used to living and working in tents, temporary facilities and the worst of conditions to provide support to other coalition forces protecting the Afghan people. The engineers stay at one base only long enough to construct adequate facilities and quality roads for incoming forces.
After completing a road that connected hundreds of Afghans in the villages of Mest and Kher Khot Castle, the A Company soldiers relocated from Kher Khot Castle to continue work on a base at Kushamond, as well as the road they are constructing from the village of Jhani Khel to Kushamond. Roads are a significant part of reconstructing Afghanistan. They link key district centers and the Afghan people, allowing the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to expand its influence, secure its people and promote economic development, U.S. officials said.
Since March, the 864th Engineer Battalion has completed nearly 160 miles of road, connecting hundreds of Afghans to district centers, Army Maj. James DeLapp, the unit's executive officer, said.
"With a combination of security provided by the Polish Battle Group soldiers and a quality road network provided by these engineer soldiers, the Afghan people will be able to safely travel to many district centers," Army Capt. Jorge Mendozacasillas, Company A commander, said.
(Army Capt. Ashley Dellavalle is assigned to Task Force Rugged Public Affairs.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Nov. 6, 2007 - U.S. Army engineers are building forward operating bases and roads in support of forces providing security to the people of Afghanistan. Despite harsh conditions due to "moon-dust" -- very fine silt that permeates every crevice at Forward Operating Base Kushamond -- the soldiers of Company A, 864th Engineer Battalion, from Fort Lewis, Wash., are building 24 B-Huts and a C-Hut to allow units from the Polish Battle Group, a battalion-size infantry element, to move into a comfortable "winterized" base before the cold season.
B-huts are semi-permanent wooden structures designed to last three to four years; each houses eight to 10 soldiers. C-Huts are similar, but larger.
These engineer soldiers are used to living and working in tents, temporary facilities and the worst of conditions to provide support to other coalition forces protecting the Afghan people. The engineers stay at one base only long enough to construct adequate facilities and quality roads for incoming forces.
After completing a road that connected hundreds of Afghans in the villages of Mest and Kher Khot Castle, the A Company soldiers relocated from Kher Khot Castle to continue work on a base at Kushamond, as well as the road they are constructing from the village of Jhani Khel to Kushamond. Roads are a significant part of reconstructing Afghanistan. They link key district centers and the Afghan people, allowing the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to expand its influence, secure its people and promote economic development, U.S. officials said.
Since March, the 864th Engineer Battalion has completed nearly 160 miles of road, connecting hundreds of Afghans to district centers, Army Maj. James DeLapp, the unit's executive officer, said.
"With a combination of security provided by the Polish Battle Group soldiers and a quality road network provided by these engineer soldiers, the Afghan people will be able to safely travel to many district centers," Army Capt. Jorge Mendozacasillas, Company A commander, said.
(Army Capt. Ashley Dellavalle is assigned to Task Force Rugged Public Affairs.)
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Military Legal Resources
The U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Legal Center & School Library in Charlottesville, VA, holds extensive collections of primary source materials and publications in the field of military law. Selections from these collections are now being made accessible in full text PDF versions via the Library of Congress Federal Research Division (FRD) Web site. As more materials are converted to digital formats, they will be added to this page. Samples of the currently available, downloadable, documents are: Operational Law Handbook, 2007; Geneva Conventions; The Army Lawyer (1971-2007); War Crimes Trials Materials; Army JAG Corps Historical Monographs; Military Law Review (1958-2007); Manuals for Courts-Martial; UCMJ Legislative History; U.S. Army TJAGLCS: Selected Theses; U.S. Army Field Manuals; Ethics Handbook for Army Leaders; Army Regulations; and, Military Law Historical Monographs, Studies, Texts and Treatises.
You can access this material at:
http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/Military_Law/military-legal-resources-home.html
You can access this material at:
http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/Military_Law/military-legal-resources-home.html
Friday, November 02, 2007
Army Withdraws Command Post from California Wildfire Duty
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 1, 2007 - An Army organization that provides support to civil authorities during emergencies is withdrawing its command-and-control detail from southern California, according to a U.S. Army North news release. The nearly 70 departing servicemembers belong to San Antonio-based U.S. Army North, a component of U.S. Northern Command, the unified command on Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., that's responsible for homeland defense and civil support.
Since Oct. 25, the Army command post coordinated Defense Department assets in fighting a series of wildfires that raged across southern California.
Army North will keep Col. Mark Armstrong in southern California for now as the Defense Department's senior representative on the ground to facilitate requests from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the lead federal agency assigned to California wildfire-fighting efforts.
Meanwhile, an eight-person Joint Task Force Civil Support planning team from Fort Monroe, Va., is being deployed to Sacramento, Calif., to support the state's Army and Air National Guard's planning effort, NORTHCOM officials said. The team consists of military planners with expertise in medicine; intelligence; logistics; military operations; air operations; and chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosives. It will work out of the state's Joint Force Headquarters.
The joint task force provides operational control of federal military forces deployed to support civilian agencies in emergencies. Its mission is to save lives and prevent injury.
Other military air and ground assets in California continue to assist as the wildfires are extinguished. California fire control officials have said they expect the fires to be out by tomorrow.
Nearly 3,000 California Guardsmen have been employed in firefighting, security and communications duties.
The wildfires destroyed more than 2,700 buildings. More than 500,000 people were evacuated from their homes from an area north of Los Angeles to the Mexican border. Seven people were killed as a result of the blazes, and 117 were injured.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also is working with FEMA to address local power, housing, planning, debris removal and disposal needs.
Nov. 1, 2007 - An Army organization that provides support to civil authorities during emergencies is withdrawing its command-and-control detail from southern California, according to a U.S. Army North news release. The nearly 70 departing servicemembers belong to San Antonio-based U.S. Army North, a component of U.S. Northern Command, the unified command on Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., that's responsible for homeland defense and civil support.
Since Oct. 25, the Army command post coordinated Defense Department assets in fighting a series of wildfires that raged across southern California.
Army North will keep Col. Mark Armstrong in southern California for now as the Defense Department's senior representative on the ground to facilitate requests from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the lead federal agency assigned to California wildfire-fighting efforts.
Meanwhile, an eight-person Joint Task Force Civil Support planning team from Fort Monroe, Va., is being deployed to Sacramento, Calif., to support the state's Army and Air National Guard's planning effort, NORTHCOM officials said. The team consists of military planners with expertise in medicine; intelligence; logistics; military operations; air operations; and chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosives. It will work out of the state's Joint Force Headquarters.
The joint task force provides operational control of federal military forces deployed to support civilian agencies in emergencies. Its mission is to save lives and prevent injury.
Other military air and ground assets in California continue to assist as the wildfires are extinguished. California fire control officials have said they expect the fires to be out by tomorrow.
Nearly 3,000 California Guardsmen have been employed in firefighting, security and communications duties.
The wildfires destroyed more than 2,700 buildings. More than 500,000 people were evacuated from their homes from an area north of Los Angeles to the Mexican border. Seven people were killed as a result of the blazes, and 117 were injured.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also is working with FEMA to address local power, housing, planning, debris removal and disposal needs.
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