By Samantha L. Quigley
Dec. 11, 2006 – More than 17,000 cookie-swap parties took place Dec. 9 during the "Great American Cookie Swap" to benefit "Treat the Troops," but only one was "Road Tasted." Both DuPont Teflon, which sponsored the event, and Treat the Troops are members of America Supports You, a Defense Department program showcasing Americans' support for the nation's servicemembers.
Jamie and Bobby Deen, hosts of the Food Network program "Road Tasted," made an appearance at the cookie swap Melissa Lewis held at her home here. The brothers are Great American Cookie Swap ambassadors and were on hand to sign autographs and lend their advice and support.
"It's a tough fight for our men and women on the ground over there, and ... you know that families here are missing them; they're missing their families," Jamie Deen said. "To receive something like a great fresh-baked cookie just gives them a little taste of home."
More than just sending a little piece of home to troops overseas, the Great American Cookie swap had a broader effect.
"This is a multifaceted (event)," Deen said. "It helps kids learn to appreciate and recognize the sacrifice that (servicemembers) make.
"Every way you look at it, this is just a super positive project," he added.
For every party registered with DuPont, the corporation is making a donation to Jeanette Cram's "Treat the Troops" organization. Treat the Troops is a troop-support organization that sends homemade cookies and other comfort items to servicemembers overseas. Just in November, Treat the Troops sent more than 11,000 cookies to the troops, and postage to ship that many cookies doesn't come cheap.
"Locally, we spend at least $1,000 a month," Cram said. That doesn't take into account what her nearly 50 "crumbs," as her volunteers are known, around the country spend.
DuPont's donations will help Cram prepare and send cookies to those serving overseas for an entire year.
"With the generous contribution from DuPont, our member organization, Treat the Troops overcomes its greatest program challenge -- postage," Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for internal communication and public liaison, said. "DuPont's commitment makes it possible for Treat the Troops to focus exclusively on what it does best to boost the morale of our soldiers bake, package and ship great-tasting cookies to our men and women in uniform serving overseas."
Cram said the donation will be a tremendous help in getting cookies to as many servicemembers as possible. "It means I don't have to go out and beg for money," Cram said, praising America Supports You for bringing "a little small group and a huge corporation" together. "That's what America is about. It's about corporate and government and people ... coming together for one goal -- the never-complaining soldiers."
While Treat the Troops takes care of those serving overseas, Melissa Lewis' party took care of Marines living in barracks on Quantico. She noted that many troops are away from loved ones this holiday season even if they're not in Iraq or Afghanistan.
"Believe it or not, we have a lot of guys here. We actually even have international soldiers here," she said, referring to foreign soldiers who attend training here. "It kind of shows them (that) local, U.S., foreign (military), it doesn't matter. We're all family. We're all missing somebody."
As a Marine wife, Lewis knows first-hand what small thoughtful acts, like sending some homemade cookies, can mean to those overseas.
"There's times when these guys, they're out there and when they're in certain areas they may not get mail for weeks at a time," Lewis said. "So for them to open up a package and see fresh homemade cookies, ... it's that connection to home and they don't feel so alone out there."
Lewis had a little help packaging the more than 100 dozen cookies that were dropped off at her home. Her daughter's Daisy Girl Scout Troop 224, from Quantico's Ashurst Elementary School was on hand to offer assistance.
The eight 5-year-olds helped stack tins and plastic containers of cookies. Some of the girls had spent part of their Friday evening helping to bake cookies.
"I decorated them and got all messy," Hailey Rathbun said. "(The Marines) don't have families to make them cookies."
By 4 p.m., all that was left was to load the cars and hand out the tins of holiday cheer, which the Marines in the Quantico barracks were all too happy to receive.
"It's something that's so simple, yet so thoughtful," Marine Lance Cpl. Christopher Dowling, who is assigned to Quantico, said. "This is a good thing," Marine Lance. Cpl. Matthew Melvin added.
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and, military and police personnel who have become writers.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Rumsfeld Discusses Transformation, Changes in Congress
By Jim Garamone
Dec. 10, 2006 – Military transformation will continue, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told servicemembers here yesterday. Transformation was one of the issues President Bush stressed when he was running for the office in 2000, Rumsfeld said during a town hall meeting with troops. "His hopes for the (Defense Department) was that it would be transformed to face the threats of the 21st century rather than being arranged to handle the challenges of the 20th century," he said.
Change is tough, the secretary said, and it's particularly hard for a large bureaucracy to change. "Each time you try to change something, someone isn't going to like that," he said. "You just have to accept that. The president said he wanted it changed. He wanted a 21st century orientation."
Rumsfeld cited the changes to the global footprint, the establishment of U.S. Northern Command and building the new National Security Personnel System as examples of the changes that have been made. The secretary said the United States military has become leaner and more flexible, with added emphasis on special operations forces. All this will help to combat the terrorist threat, he said.
"I think these have to be considered the most important things we've done," he said.
Rumsfeld said that the military doesn't start "untransformed" and become transformed, "because the world is not static. It requires there is a process that continues working over time."
He said DoD has selected leaders who are able to "break free" from earlier training and doctrine and put in place these new ideas. "These are people who are comfortable changing things, who can provide that kind of bold leadership that is a risk when you are changing things," he said. "I am reasonably confident that the senior people in the department are not service-centric; they are joint in orientation and they are looking forward rather than back, and they will be in a position to influence the impetus to the continuing transforming process."
The enemy in Iraq changes its tactics, techniques and procedures constantly, Rumsfeld said. The U.S. military needs to be nimble enough to get inside that decision cycle and cause the enemy to react to U.S. changes, rather than the other way around.
Rumsfeld spoke a bit about the changes in America that led to his resignation. A Marine in Al Asad Air Base asked him what Democratic control of Congress will mean to the military. "We've staked everything on the idea that the people can guide and direct the force of our country," Rumsfeld said. Americans are part of the decision process even during wartime, he explained.
Rumsfeld said he is confident about the outcome. "The great sweep of human history is for freedom and that's the side we are on," he said in Mosul. "Totalitarian systems fail because they don't exploit the creativity of a free population."
Article sponsored by the next leadership book; and, police and military personnel who have become writers.
Dec. 10, 2006 – Military transformation will continue, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told servicemembers here yesterday. Transformation was one of the issues President Bush stressed when he was running for the office in 2000, Rumsfeld said during a town hall meeting with troops. "His hopes for the (Defense Department) was that it would be transformed to face the threats of the 21st century rather than being arranged to handle the challenges of the 20th century," he said.
Change is tough, the secretary said, and it's particularly hard for a large bureaucracy to change. "Each time you try to change something, someone isn't going to like that," he said. "You just have to accept that. The president said he wanted it changed. He wanted a 21st century orientation."
Rumsfeld cited the changes to the global footprint, the establishment of U.S. Northern Command and building the new National Security Personnel System as examples of the changes that have been made. The secretary said the United States military has become leaner and more flexible, with added emphasis on special operations forces. All this will help to combat the terrorist threat, he said.
"I think these have to be considered the most important things we've done," he said.
Rumsfeld said that the military doesn't start "untransformed" and become transformed, "because the world is not static. It requires there is a process that continues working over time."
He said DoD has selected leaders who are able to "break free" from earlier training and doctrine and put in place these new ideas. "These are people who are comfortable changing things, who can provide that kind of bold leadership that is a risk when you are changing things," he said. "I am reasonably confident that the senior people in the department are not service-centric; they are joint in orientation and they are looking forward rather than back, and they will be in a position to influence the impetus to the continuing transforming process."
The enemy in Iraq changes its tactics, techniques and procedures constantly, Rumsfeld said. The U.S. military needs to be nimble enough to get inside that decision cycle and cause the enemy to react to U.S. changes, rather than the other way around.
Rumsfeld spoke a bit about the changes in America that led to his resignation. A Marine in Al Asad Air Base asked him what Democratic control of Congress will mean to the military. "We've staked everything on the idea that the people can guide and direct the force of our country," Rumsfeld said. Americans are part of the decision process even during wartime, he explained.
Rumsfeld said he is confident about the outcome. "The great sweep of human history is for freedom and that's the side we are on," he said in Mosul. "Totalitarian systems fail because they don't exploit the creativity of a free population."
Article sponsored by the next leadership book; and, police and military personnel who have become writers.
Rumsfeld Awards Multinational Corps Leaders
By Jim Garamone
Dec. 10, 2006 – Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld decorated two senior members of the Multinational Corps Iraq during a ceremony here yesterday. Rumsfeld presented the Bronze Star to Army Command Sgt. Maj. Ralph Beam, the corps sergeant major, and the Distinguished Service Medal to Corps Commander Army Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli.
Chiarelli and Beam are a team at the top of the multinational corps. "When we first put this together, we agreed he would take care of the politics and I would take care of the soldiers," Beam said following the presentation. Beam put thousands of miles on his vehicles traveling throughout the country to assess morale and ensure everything that could be done for servicemembers' safety was being done.
Rumsfeld said the corps has done exceptional work in the past year. The corps helped provide security for the long process of forming the Iraqi government, he said.
The corps has also provided impetus to the training and equipping effort for the Iraq army and Iraqi police, Rumsfeld said. Chiarelli put in place more trainers and devoted more manpower and equipment to making Iraqi security forces potent.
Both men received the award in a corps conference room set up so their wives could watch the proceedings. Chiarelli and Beam return to their home base in Heidelberg, Germany, this week.
Rumsfeld arrived in Iraq yesterday to thank the troops for their service. The secretary visited personnel in the western Iraqi province of Anbar, in and around Baghdad and in Mosul.
Article sponsored by the next leadership book; and, police and military personnel who have become writers.
Dec. 10, 2006 – Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld decorated two senior members of the Multinational Corps Iraq during a ceremony here yesterday. Rumsfeld presented the Bronze Star to Army Command Sgt. Maj. Ralph Beam, the corps sergeant major, and the Distinguished Service Medal to Corps Commander Army Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli.
Chiarelli and Beam are a team at the top of the multinational corps. "When we first put this together, we agreed he would take care of the politics and I would take care of the soldiers," Beam said following the presentation. Beam put thousands of miles on his vehicles traveling throughout the country to assess morale and ensure everything that could be done for servicemembers' safety was being done.
Rumsfeld said the corps has done exceptional work in the past year. The corps helped provide security for the long process of forming the Iraqi government, he said.
The corps has also provided impetus to the training and equipping effort for the Iraq army and Iraqi police, Rumsfeld said. Chiarelli put in place more trainers and devoted more manpower and equipment to making Iraqi security forces potent.
Both men received the award in a corps conference room set up so their wives could watch the proceedings. Chiarelli and Beam return to their home base in Heidelberg, Germany, this week.
Rumsfeld arrived in Iraq yesterday to thank the troops for their service. The secretary visited personnel in the western Iraqi province of Anbar, in and around Baghdad and in Mosul.
Article sponsored by the next leadership book; and, police and military personnel who have become writers.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
U.S. Troop Morale in Iraq High, Marine Commander Says
By Jim Garamone
Dec. 9, 2006 – Even with all the debate in the U.S. over Iraq strategy, morale on the ground here is good, the commander of Multinational Force West said today. Marine Maj. Gen. Richard Zilmer said that retention among Marines based in Iraq is more than 140 percent of the goal. "If they didn't think what they were doing was important, then they wouldn't reenlist," he said during an interview.
He said the situation in Anbar province is difficult, but progress is being made. "It's going to be slow," Zilmer said. "We will be at this for a long time."
The general said he is encouraged by cooperation tribal sheikhs are providing the coalition in the province. Local leadership in and around Ramadi finally had enough of al Qaeda in Iraq violence and intimidation and began cooperating with the U.S. forces in the area. "The sheikhs have a lot of power," Zilmer said. "As soon as they put it out that people should cooperate, we started getting volunteers."
The Iraqi police in Anbar are fairly well-manned, but there are problems recruiting soldiers, Zilmer said. Part of that is because police remain local, while soldiers can get assigned anywhere in the country. Another problem is a requirement that Iraqi soldiers know how to read and write. Many men in Anbar province do not have those skills. "Al Qaeda doesn't have that same requirement," Zilmer said.
The help the sheikhs provide also means more tips coming in to the Iraqi authorities and more cooperation when forces go to neighborhoods, he said. It has also had an effect on the number of attacks in the city. "We hope this cooperation spreads beyond Ramadi," he said. "Success breeds success."
Another bright spot in Anbar is in and around Al Qaim, on the Syrian border. "Last year there were pitched battles in the city," he said. "Now the tribal leaders are cooperating, and the police and army units cooperate with each other and with us."
The people of Al Qaim are giving the Iraqi government a chance to establish order, Zilmer said.
Despite these successes, the province is a huge area to cover. The addition of a Marine amphibious unit has helped tamp down some of the problems, the general said, but what he really needs are more Iraqi forces.
Many of the Marines and soldiers in the region are on their second or third tour, yet their morale is still high. "They come out here and decide they will make a difference," Zilmer said. "And they do. Every day."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and military and police personnel who have become authors.
Dec. 9, 2006 – Even with all the debate in the U.S. over Iraq strategy, morale on the ground here is good, the commander of Multinational Force West said today. Marine Maj. Gen. Richard Zilmer said that retention among Marines based in Iraq is more than 140 percent of the goal. "If they didn't think what they were doing was important, then they wouldn't reenlist," he said during an interview.
He said the situation in Anbar province is difficult, but progress is being made. "It's going to be slow," Zilmer said. "We will be at this for a long time."
The general said he is encouraged by cooperation tribal sheikhs are providing the coalition in the province. Local leadership in and around Ramadi finally had enough of al Qaeda in Iraq violence and intimidation and began cooperating with the U.S. forces in the area. "The sheikhs have a lot of power," Zilmer said. "As soon as they put it out that people should cooperate, we started getting volunteers."
The Iraqi police in Anbar are fairly well-manned, but there are problems recruiting soldiers, Zilmer said. Part of that is because police remain local, while soldiers can get assigned anywhere in the country. Another problem is a requirement that Iraqi soldiers know how to read and write. Many men in Anbar province do not have those skills. "Al Qaeda doesn't have that same requirement," Zilmer said.
The help the sheikhs provide also means more tips coming in to the Iraqi authorities and more cooperation when forces go to neighborhoods, he said. It has also had an effect on the number of attacks in the city. "We hope this cooperation spreads beyond Ramadi," he said. "Success breeds success."
Another bright spot in Anbar is in and around Al Qaim, on the Syrian border. "Last year there were pitched battles in the city," he said. "Now the tribal leaders are cooperating, and the police and army units cooperate with each other and with us."
The people of Al Qaim are giving the Iraqi government a chance to establish order, Zilmer said.
Despite these successes, the province is a huge area to cover. The addition of a Marine amphibious unit has helped tamp down some of the problems, the general said, but what he really needs are more Iraqi forces.
Many of the Marines and soldiers in the region are on their second or third tour, yet their morale is still high. "They come out here and decide they will make a difference," Zilmer said. "And they do. Every day."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and military and police personnel who have become authors.
Troops Haven't Lost Faith in Rumsfeld
By Jim Garamone
Dec. 9, 2006 – As he prepares to enter his final week in office, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld was greeted warmly here by the men and women in uniform he has led for the past six years. Rumsfeld paid a surprise visit to servicemembers based in Iraq to thank them for their service. He met with troops on Al Asad Air Base in Anbar province and then with troops here.
In both places, the troops treated him like a rock star. The 74-year-old secretary flew aboard an Air Force C-17 from Washington. He worked through the night aboard the plane, but was still fresh enough to put in a full day speaking to and meeting the troops.
And they responded.
When he arrived to speak at Al Asad, he received a sustained ovation - punctuated by Marine OO-RAHs and Army HOOAHs. There were even a number of Air Force personnel who insisted on yelling "Airpower."
After the speech in Al Asad, hundreds of servicemembers lined up for pictures with Rumsfeld. Many offered support for the secretary who steps down Dec. 18. "It isn't a military problem out here," said one Marine gunnery sergeant speaking on background. "It's a political problem. No one in this country can challenge us militarily; we'd wipe the floor with them. The Iraqis have to 'cowboy up.'"
Many soldiers and airmen at Balad said that if they have the patience and they haven't lost faith, then the American people shouldn't either. "This is my second year-long tour," said a convoy commander at Anaconda Logistics Area. "Why am I more patient than someone sitting at home in 'Fort Livingroom?'"
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and military and police personnel who have become authors.
Dec. 9, 2006 – As he prepares to enter his final week in office, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld was greeted warmly here by the men and women in uniform he has led for the past six years. Rumsfeld paid a surprise visit to servicemembers based in Iraq to thank them for their service. He met with troops on Al Asad Air Base in Anbar province and then with troops here.
In both places, the troops treated him like a rock star. The 74-year-old secretary flew aboard an Air Force C-17 from Washington. He worked through the night aboard the plane, but was still fresh enough to put in a full day speaking to and meeting the troops.
And they responded.
When he arrived to speak at Al Asad, he received a sustained ovation - punctuated by Marine OO-RAHs and Army HOOAHs. There were even a number of Air Force personnel who insisted on yelling "Airpower."
After the speech in Al Asad, hundreds of servicemembers lined up for pictures with Rumsfeld. Many offered support for the secretary who steps down Dec. 18. "It isn't a military problem out here," said one Marine gunnery sergeant speaking on background. "It's a political problem. No one in this country can challenge us militarily; we'd wipe the floor with them. The Iraqis have to 'cowboy up.'"
Many soldiers and airmen at Balad said that if they have the patience and they haven't lost faith, then the American people shouldn't either. "This is my second year-long tour," said a convoy commander at Anaconda Logistics Area. "Why am I more patient than someone sitting at home in 'Fort Livingroom?'"
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and military and police personnel who have become authors.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Rumsfeld: Early Iraq, Afghan Pullouts Would Be 'Terrible' Mistake
By Gerry J. Gilmore
Dec. 8, 2006 – An early withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq or Afghanistan would aid terrorists and cause more instability in those countries, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told military and civilian employees at the Pentagon today. The United States has invested much during anti-terrorist operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, Rumsfeld said at a town hall meeting. And both of those countries have made great strides in governing themselves, he said, since U.S. and coalition military forces toppled the Taliban in Afghanistan and deposed Saddam Hussein in Iraq.
Afghanistan and Iraq, however, still face severe challenges from terrorists determined to topple their new, democratic governments, the defense secretary said.
An early withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan or Iraq before more stability is established would simply create more instability, Rumsfeld said.
"I believe it would be a terrible mistake," he said.
Rumsfeld acknowledged that Americans are concerned about the pace of progress, particularly in Iraq. "There's an impatience in the United States and in the Congress (over Iraq), and there's nobody who sees people being killed and wounded and doesn't feel a sense of urgency about getting it right and doing the right thing and seeing that their loss of life is as minimal as it possibly can be," the defense secretary said.
"The other thing we have to think about, though, is the dire consequences were we to fail there," Rumsfeld said.
The war against terrorism in Iraq will ultimately have to be won by its people, Rumsfeld said. But, for now, U.S. troops are still needed there, he said, to train Iraqi soldiers and police and to help suppress extremist violence until the fledgling Iraqi government can stand on its feet.
Yet, the war in Iraq also won't be won by military means alone, the defense secretary said.
"It has to be won by the Iraqi people," Rumsfeld said. Efforts must continue, he said, to establish accord between Iraq's Shiia and Sunni Muslim citizens and to improve the quality of life for all Iraqis.
"And, it is those diplomatic and economic and political things that have to move forward in that country," Rumsfeld said.
Animosity between Shiia and Sunni Muslims isn't just an Iraqi issue, Rumsfeld said, noting there's a major divide between those groups across the Middle East.
"And what's taking place in Iraq is, in effect, a microcosm of what's taking place in that region," the defense secretary said.
The United States and its allies need to do better against extremists in Afghanistan and Iraq, Rumsfeld said. But, he added, he believes there's no silver bullet that can be employed to quickly defeat insurgents operating in those countries. Rather, the endeavor will simply take time, he said.
"And, we have every chance in the world of succeeding in both those countries, but only if we have the patience and only if we have the staying power," he said.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and, military personnel and police personnel who have become writers.
Dec. 8, 2006 – An early withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq or Afghanistan would aid terrorists and cause more instability in those countries, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told military and civilian employees at the Pentagon today. The United States has invested much during anti-terrorist operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, Rumsfeld said at a town hall meeting. And both of those countries have made great strides in governing themselves, he said, since U.S. and coalition military forces toppled the Taliban in Afghanistan and deposed Saddam Hussein in Iraq.
Afghanistan and Iraq, however, still face severe challenges from terrorists determined to topple their new, democratic governments, the defense secretary said.
An early withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan or Iraq before more stability is established would simply create more instability, Rumsfeld said.
"I believe it would be a terrible mistake," he said.
Rumsfeld acknowledged that Americans are concerned about the pace of progress, particularly in Iraq. "There's an impatience in the United States and in the Congress (over Iraq), and there's nobody who sees people being killed and wounded and doesn't feel a sense of urgency about getting it right and doing the right thing and seeing that their loss of life is as minimal as it possibly can be," the defense secretary said.
"The other thing we have to think about, though, is the dire consequences were we to fail there," Rumsfeld said.
The war against terrorism in Iraq will ultimately have to be won by its people, Rumsfeld said. But, for now, U.S. troops are still needed there, he said, to train Iraqi soldiers and police and to help suppress extremist violence until the fledgling Iraqi government can stand on its feet.
Yet, the war in Iraq also won't be won by military means alone, the defense secretary said.
"It has to be won by the Iraqi people," Rumsfeld said. Efforts must continue, he said, to establish accord between Iraq's Shiia and Sunni Muslim citizens and to improve the quality of life for all Iraqis.
"And, it is those diplomatic and economic and political things that have to move forward in that country," Rumsfeld said.
Animosity between Shiia and Sunni Muslims isn't just an Iraqi issue, Rumsfeld said, noting there's a major divide between those groups across the Middle East.
"And what's taking place in Iraq is, in effect, a microcosm of what's taking place in that region," the defense secretary said.
The United States and its allies need to do better against extremists in Afghanistan and Iraq, Rumsfeld said. But, he added, he believes there's no silver bullet that can be employed to quickly defeat insurgents operating in those countries. Rather, the endeavor will simply take time, he said.
"And, we have every chance in the world of succeeding in both those countries, but only if we have the patience and only if we have the staying power," he said.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and, military personnel and police personnel who have become writers.
Exercise Tests Patient Care Savvy
By Staff Sgt. Amaani Lyle, USAF
Dec. 8, 2006 – A year of planning culminated in the orchestration of more than five aircraft, 13 organizations and numerous flight surgeons, nurses, technicians, administrators and air and ground crew who conducted collaborative patient care and transport during Exercise Capital Shield here Dec. 4-7. Under direction of the Joint Force Headquarters-National Capital Region at Fort McNair, and the Air Force District of Washington surgeon general at Bolling Air Force Base -- both in the District of Columbia -- Guard and Reserve forces from the Air Force, Army and Navy fused resources in several states to demonstrate mass casualty response following a state-of-emergency declaration.
"We threw every kind of event at the exercise participants at a very accelerated pace," said Lt. Col. Christopher Morgan, AFDW medical operations and plans chief. "There was a simulated fire at an apartment complex, and we layered additional injects, such as an interstate fuel truck explosion and a media helicopter crash, to create hundreds of simulated on-scene casualties."
As the disasters intensified and surrounding medical facilities reported saturation, professionals met the challenge of caring for patient overflow here as well as patient transport to North Carolina for further care, said Lt. Col. Jimmie Drummond, 459th Aeromedical Staging Squadron flight surgeon and the exercise's contingency aeromedical staging facility commander.
Receiving, treating and sending patients within a matter of hours is a complex task that calls for meticulous coordination, the colonel said.
"Continuity and fluid patient hand-off is key to a successful mission, and I think the people here pulled it off seamlessly," Drummond said. Patients arrived from the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., and exercise participants ensured their suitability to face potential flight stressors such as turbulence and cabin pressure as they fly to their next destination, he explained.
West Virginia Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopters, followed by 121st Aviation Battalion and 1st Helicopter Squadron UH-1 Huey helicopters arrived here to deliver eight critically burned patients to the CASF, a medical care area complete with a power generator and communication capability, created through the efforts of 459th ASTS, the AFDW's 79th Medical Wing and the 459th Maintenance Group.
In the CASF, flight nurses, medical technicians and a District of Columbia Air National Guard 113th Wing chaplain, 1st Lt. Tiji Murphy, comforted patients as they waited to board an Air National Guard C-130 from New Castle, Del.
Once on the flight line, members of the 459th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron joined the Delaware Air National Guard's 142nd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron and the 166th Airlift Wing to prepare the C-130's ramp and cabin for patients.
Within minutes, exercise participants loaded all eight stretchers onto the aircraft, bound for North Carolina.
"I personally didn't feel like I was working with other branches or agencies, because we are one," said Master Sgt. Mike Pierson, a Delaware National Guard medical technician. "Everyone was on the same page from the beginning."
Morgan said the planning and effort goes a long way beyond the exercise.
"We try to make these exercises as realistic as possible to benefit not only the medical care providers, but their patients too," Morgan said. "This seamless transition in patient care is so important because it could very well be my family or your family on that plane."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and, military personnel and police personnel who have become writers.
Dec. 8, 2006 – A year of planning culminated in the orchestration of more than five aircraft, 13 organizations and numerous flight surgeons, nurses, technicians, administrators and air and ground crew who conducted collaborative patient care and transport during Exercise Capital Shield here Dec. 4-7. Under direction of the Joint Force Headquarters-National Capital Region at Fort McNair, and the Air Force District of Washington surgeon general at Bolling Air Force Base -- both in the District of Columbia -- Guard and Reserve forces from the Air Force, Army and Navy fused resources in several states to demonstrate mass casualty response following a state-of-emergency declaration.
"We threw every kind of event at the exercise participants at a very accelerated pace," said Lt. Col. Christopher Morgan, AFDW medical operations and plans chief. "There was a simulated fire at an apartment complex, and we layered additional injects, such as an interstate fuel truck explosion and a media helicopter crash, to create hundreds of simulated on-scene casualties."
As the disasters intensified and surrounding medical facilities reported saturation, professionals met the challenge of caring for patient overflow here as well as patient transport to North Carolina for further care, said Lt. Col. Jimmie Drummond, 459th Aeromedical Staging Squadron flight surgeon and the exercise's contingency aeromedical staging facility commander.
Receiving, treating and sending patients within a matter of hours is a complex task that calls for meticulous coordination, the colonel said.
"Continuity and fluid patient hand-off is key to a successful mission, and I think the people here pulled it off seamlessly," Drummond said. Patients arrived from the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., and exercise participants ensured their suitability to face potential flight stressors such as turbulence and cabin pressure as they fly to their next destination, he explained.
West Virginia Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopters, followed by 121st Aviation Battalion and 1st Helicopter Squadron UH-1 Huey helicopters arrived here to deliver eight critically burned patients to the CASF, a medical care area complete with a power generator and communication capability, created through the efforts of 459th ASTS, the AFDW's 79th Medical Wing and the 459th Maintenance Group.
In the CASF, flight nurses, medical technicians and a District of Columbia Air National Guard 113th Wing chaplain, 1st Lt. Tiji Murphy, comforted patients as they waited to board an Air National Guard C-130 from New Castle, Del.
Once on the flight line, members of the 459th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron joined the Delaware Air National Guard's 142nd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron and the 166th Airlift Wing to prepare the C-130's ramp and cabin for patients.
Within minutes, exercise participants loaded all eight stretchers onto the aircraft, bound for North Carolina.
"I personally didn't feel like I was working with other branches or agencies, because we are one," said Master Sgt. Mike Pierson, a Delaware National Guard medical technician. "Everyone was on the same page from the beginning."
Morgan said the planning and effort goes a long way beyond the exercise.
"We try to make these exercises as realistic as possible to benefit not only the medical care providers, but their patients too," Morgan said. "This seamless transition in patient care is so important because it could very well be my family or your family on that plane."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and, military personnel and police personnel who have become writers.
Thrift Savings Plan Provides Important Benefits to Troops
By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
Dec. 8, 2006 – More servicemembers need to take advantage of the Thrift Savings Plan, because it is an attractive investment option with unique benefits for military members, the military officer in charge of the Armed Forces Tax Council said here today. TSP, a retirement savings plan for servicemembers and civilian federal employees, right now draws participation from about half of the military, Army Maj. John Johnson, director of the Armed Forces Tax Council, said in an interview.
"Certainly we'd like to see that participation rate go up, because it's a great benefit," Johnson said. "It's important that everyone obviously be saving for their retirement in the first place, and if you're going to be saving, the first place you want to put it is in tax-deferred or tax-exempt retirement accounts."
TSP is a tax-deferred fund, which means the money contributed to the account is deducted right away from the person's taxable income, and the money in the fund isn't taxed until it is withdrawn at retirement. This represents a significant savings over the years, Johnson explained.
"If you weren't in the TSP or another tax-deferred account, every year, the income in that fund (would) get taxed," he said. "If you look over your whole 40-year career, generally speaking, you're going to pick up a couple hundred thousand dollars by contributing to a tax-deferred account as opposed to a taxed account."
As of this year, military members are unlimited in the amount they can contribute to TSP, Johnson said. When the program was first made available to servicemembers in 2000, they could only contribute up to 5 percent of their income. Now the only limit is the Internal Revenue Service's $15,000 per-year limit on contributions to tax-deferred accounts, he said. He noted that most military members won't come close to that limit if they contribute 5 or 10 percent of their income to TSP.
Deployed troops have different limits in TSP, Johnson said. Because their income is tax-exempt and the IRS has a separate limit for that category, they can contribute up to $44,000 per year, he said.
As another benefit to servicemembers, the Army is testing a program where the service matches soldiers' contributions to TSP, Johnson said. This program only applies to new enlistees who fill critical specialties. The Army will match 5 percent of the pay the soldier contributes to TSP; the first 3 percent will be matched dollar for dollar, and the next 2 percent matched 50 cents on the dollar, he said.
Even for troops who have been in a while and won't get their contributions matched, TSP is a good idea, Johnson said. A major benefit of the program is that the expenses on the accounts are very low - about one-tenth of the average private mutual fund. The money that in the private sector would be used to manage the fund, buy stocks and pay other fees goes straight to the servicemember's bottom line in TSP, he said.
"You'll have a hard time beating TSP," he said.
TSP is not like a savings account, Johnson emphasized, and the money contributed to it should be money that people aren't going to need soon. However, TSP does have a loan program for situations such as a first home purchase, where participants can borrow money from their own account and then pay it back at a market interest rate.
After leaving the military, servicemembers cannot continue contributing to TSP unless they take a federal job, Johnson said. They can leave their money in TSP, though, and continue to draw returns on it. The money in TSP can also be rolled over to another IRA account, he said.
TSP is a great benefit that is overlooked by a lot of military members, Johnson said. Those who can contribute should, and those who can't contribute should seriously evaluate their financial situation and look at how they are preparing for the future, he said.
"You need to get yourself in a position where you can save, and then we just think that the TSP is a great option to put that savings," he said.
Servicemembers can sign up for TSP online at www.tsp.gov, Johnson said. This Web site offers all the tools troops need to get started in the program and manage their accounts.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and, military personnel and police personnel who have become writers.
Dec. 8, 2006 – More servicemembers need to take advantage of the Thrift Savings Plan, because it is an attractive investment option with unique benefits for military members, the military officer in charge of the Armed Forces Tax Council said here today. TSP, a retirement savings plan for servicemembers and civilian federal employees, right now draws participation from about half of the military, Army Maj. John Johnson, director of the Armed Forces Tax Council, said in an interview.
"Certainly we'd like to see that participation rate go up, because it's a great benefit," Johnson said. "It's important that everyone obviously be saving for their retirement in the first place, and if you're going to be saving, the first place you want to put it is in tax-deferred or tax-exempt retirement accounts."
TSP is a tax-deferred fund, which means the money contributed to the account is deducted right away from the person's taxable income, and the money in the fund isn't taxed until it is withdrawn at retirement. This represents a significant savings over the years, Johnson explained.
"If you weren't in the TSP or another tax-deferred account, every year, the income in that fund (would) get taxed," he said. "If you look over your whole 40-year career, generally speaking, you're going to pick up a couple hundred thousand dollars by contributing to a tax-deferred account as opposed to a taxed account."
As of this year, military members are unlimited in the amount they can contribute to TSP, Johnson said. When the program was first made available to servicemembers in 2000, they could only contribute up to 5 percent of their income. Now the only limit is the Internal Revenue Service's $15,000 per-year limit on contributions to tax-deferred accounts, he said. He noted that most military members won't come close to that limit if they contribute 5 or 10 percent of their income to TSP.
Deployed troops have different limits in TSP, Johnson said. Because their income is tax-exempt and the IRS has a separate limit for that category, they can contribute up to $44,000 per year, he said.
As another benefit to servicemembers, the Army is testing a program where the service matches soldiers' contributions to TSP, Johnson said. This program only applies to new enlistees who fill critical specialties. The Army will match 5 percent of the pay the soldier contributes to TSP; the first 3 percent will be matched dollar for dollar, and the next 2 percent matched 50 cents on the dollar, he said.
Even for troops who have been in a while and won't get their contributions matched, TSP is a good idea, Johnson said. A major benefit of the program is that the expenses on the accounts are very low - about one-tenth of the average private mutual fund. The money that in the private sector would be used to manage the fund, buy stocks and pay other fees goes straight to the servicemember's bottom line in TSP, he said.
"You'll have a hard time beating TSP," he said.
TSP is not like a savings account, Johnson emphasized, and the money contributed to it should be money that people aren't going to need soon. However, TSP does have a loan program for situations such as a first home purchase, where participants can borrow money from their own account and then pay it back at a market interest rate.
After leaving the military, servicemembers cannot continue contributing to TSP unless they take a federal job, Johnson said. They can leave their money in TSP, though, and continue to draw returns on it. The money in TSP can also be rolled over to another IRA account, he said.
TSP is a great benefit that is overlooked by a lot of military members, Johnson said. Those who can contribute should, and those who can't contribute should seriously evaluate their financial situation and look at how they are preparing for the future, he said.
"You need to get yourself in a position where you can save, and then we just think that the TSP is a great option to put that savings," he said.
Servicemembers can sign up for TSP online at www.tsp.gov, Johnson said. This Web site offers all the tools troops need to get started in the program and manage their accounts.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and, military personnel and police personnel who have become writers.
DoD Civilians Succeed in Life Despite Physical Adversity
By Gerry J. Gilmore
Dec. 8, 2006 – Two Defense Department civilians, James N. Templeman and Donald C. Cobert, have not let severe disabilities keep them from success. Templeman, 51, was born without arms. Today, he holds a doctorate degree in computer science. He's developing a virtual reality system at the Naval Research Laboratory here, that'll be used to train Marines to operate in urban warfare environments.
He decided to study computer science during the mid-1970s. The Washington, D.C., native credited his success in life to his parents, hard work and keeping focused. "I had a very supportive family," Templeman said, noting his parents gave him the confidence and inspiration to compete and succeed in the world.
"They 'mainstreamed' me. I went to public school," he said.
He described how he uses his feet for purposes other than just standing and walking. "I write with my feet and 'mouse' with my feet" at the computer, Templeman said.
Living in a world designed for people with arms caused Templeman to apply his unique perspective across everyday life, he said, which carries over into his work. "I'm constantly looking at things and thinking, 'How can I use it?'" he said. "I think that relates, a bit, to my own research right now."
Templeman was recently recognized for his accomplishments as one of 14 outstanding DoD civilian employees with disabilities.
He said people who want to succeed in life should focus on their individual strengths. "That's where you need to put your effort and just make the most of what you have," he said.
Cobert also bested adversity, having been stricken with polio as a child. The disease paralyzed Cobert's legs and weakened his hands. Today Cobert walks with the use of braces and is a payroll administrator at the Missile Defense Agency at the Navy Annex in Arlington, Va.
He recalled how Catholic school teachers helped to give him confidence to learn how to write. "I was unable to write or actually hold a pen until I was almost 6," Cobert said. "Luckily, I was taught by nuns who had the patience to work me through that 'hump.'"
Cobert later learned to play the guitar. "That's one thing that helped me to develop dexterity in my hands," he said.
He was also a successful wrestler in high school and at college. "I pushed myself, because I wanted to compete," Cobert said, noting he developed his competitive instincts while growing up among four brothers and three sisters.
"When you're in a big family like that, even at dinner you're fighting over the last roll, so you had to kind of develop some strength and speed," he said.
Cobert experienced a successful 22-year career as a business manager at physicians' offices and hospitals in northern Virginia before coming to work for DoD. Disability "is exactly what you make of it," Cobert said, noting the key to success in life is developing, pursuing and achieving goals.
"They have to be realistic goals, but you can never have an ending goal," he said. "Once you're getting close to something that you want to accomplish, you better have two or three goals ahead of that, or you're going to hit that one spot and stop."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and, military personnel and police personnel who have become writers.
Dec. 8, 2006 – Two Defense Department civilians, James N. Templeman and Donald C. Cobert, have not let severe disabilities keep them from success. Templeman, 51, was born without arms. Today, he holds a doctorate degree in computer science. He's developing a virtual reality system at the Naval Research Laboratory here, that'll be used to train Marines to operate in urban warfare environments.
He decided to study computer science during the mid-1970s. The Washington, D.C., native credited his success in life to his parents, hard work and keeping focused. "I had a very supportive family," Templeman said, noting his parents gave him the confidence and inspiration to compete and succeed in the world.
"They 'mainstreamed' me. I went to public school," he said.
He described how he uses his feet for purposes other than just standing and walking. "I write with my feet and 'mouse' with my feet" at the computer, Templeman said.
Living in a world designed for people with arms caused Templeman to apply his unique perspective across everyday life, he said, which carries over into his work. "I'm constantly looking at things and thinking, 'How can I use it?'" he said. "I think that relates, a bit, to my own research right now."
Templeman was recently recognized for his accomplishments as one of 14 outstanding DoD civilian employees with disabilities.
He said people who want to succeed in life should focus on their individual strengths. "That's where you need to put your effort and just make the most of what you have," he said.
Cobert also bested adversity, having been stricken with polio as a child. The disease paralyzed Cobert's legs and weakened his hands. Today Cobert walks with the use of braces and is a payroll administrator at the Missile Defense Agency at the Navy Annex in Arlington, Va.
He recalled how Catholic school teachers helped to give him confidence to learn how to write. "I was unable to write or actually hold a pen until I was almost 6," Cobert said. "Luckily, I was taught by nuns who had the patience to work me through that 'hump.'"
Cobert later learned to play the guitar. "That's one thing that helped me to develop dexterity in my hands," he said.
He was also a successful wrestler in high school and at college. "I pushed myself, because I wanted to compete," Cobert said, noting he developed his competitive instincts while growing up among four brothers and three sisters.
"When you're in a big family like that, even at dinner you're fighting over the last roll, so you had to kind of develop some strength and speed," he said.
Cobert experienced a successful 22-year career as a business manager at physicians' offices and hospitals in northern Virginia before coming to work for DoD. Disability "is exactly what you make of it," Cobert said, noting the key to success in life is developing, pursuing and achieving goals.
"They have to be realistic goals, but you can never have an ending goal," he said. "Once you're getting close to something that you want to accomplish, you better have two or three goals ahead of that, or you're going to hit that one spot and stop."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and, military personnel and police personnel who have become writers.
Pace Lauds Rumsfeld; Rumsfeld Expresses Confidence in Gates
By Donna Miles
Dec. 8, 2006 – Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, took today's Pentagon town hall meeting as an opportunity to praise the drive, energy, courage and loyalty Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld brought to his position. Pace shared his thoughts just before Rumsfeld told Pentagon employees he has "every confidence" in incoming Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates.
The chairman, speaking at Rumsfeld's 42nd and last town hall meeting as defense secretary, called Rumsfeld's work ethic incredible.
"Is he demanding?" Pace said. "You bet. If you haven't done your homework when you walk into the secretary's office, you're not going to have a good day."
But Rumsfeld is more demanding on himself than anyone else, the chairman said. "And we have benefited enormously from the drive and energy that he has instilled in this organization from top to bottom, starting with his own daily work ethic and how he does his job," Pace said.
After almost 40 years in uniform, the chairman said he's come to appreciate two kinds of courage. In addition to the concept of courage in combat that military members exhibit, "there's also the courage it takes to speak one's mind", he said.
In meetings that Rumsfeld participates in -- forums in which "there are no shrinking violets" -- the secretary has demonstrated the courage to disagree with how others think and to explain his reasons, Pace told the audience. These insights have sometimes changed, not just the course of a conversation, but "quite literally, the course that our country has taken," he said.
"That kind of courage is rare," the chairman said. "And we who serve in the military and in this department have benefited enormously through the courage that our secretary has shown in those meetings."
Pace also praised Rumsfeld's sense of loyalty -- not just up the chain of command, but also down the chain, to the 2.4 million U.S. servicemembers on active duty and in the reserves and National Guard.
Even in those rare occasions when servicemembers step out of line or do "something stupid," Rumsfeld never tries to dodge blame, Pace said.
"Not once," he said -- repeating "not once" for emphasis - "when folks have laid at the feet of our secretary the blame for something that has gone wrong, not once has he done anything other than accept the responsibility," Pace said. "He has never tried to deflect that to any subordinate, even though it was a subordinate's responsibility."
Pace told today's audience he's come to admire Rumsfeld's integrity and his willingness to share other people's opinions, even if they differed from his own.
"It takes enormous integrity to have the kind of strength of conviction that the secretary has to drive to the conclusion that he believes is correct and, at the same time, ensure that the decision maker has in front of him or her all of the information and all of the various ideas," the chairman said.
Rumsfeld, when asked at about incoming Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, said he believes Gates will bring solid leadership to DoD. "I've had two meetings with him, and we've had a good discussion on a variety of things," Rumsfeld said. "The senior folks in the department have been briefing him."
Rumsfeld noted that everyone has different qualities and leadership styles.
"He'll do a good job," he said of Gates. "He'll come in and he'll find a way to begin the process of serving as secretary of defense in a way that fits his background and the needs of the current time. And I've got every confidence that he'll do a terrific job."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and, military personnel and police personnel who have become writers.
Dec. 8, 2006 – Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, took today's Pentagon town hall meeting as an opportunity to praise the drive, energy, courage and loyalty Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld brought to his position. Pace shared his thoughts just before Rumsfeld told Pentagon employees he has "every confidence" in incoming Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates.
The chairman, speaking at Rumsfeld's 42nd and last town hall meeting as defense secretary, called Rumsfeld's work ethic incredible.
"Is he demanding?" Pace said. "You bet. If you haven't done your homework when you walk into the secretary's office, you're not going to have a good day."
But Rumsfeld is more demanding on himself than anyone else, the chairman said. "And we have benefited enormously from the drive and energy that he has instilled in this organization from top to bottom, starting with his own daily work ethic and how he does his job," Pace said.
After almost 40 years in uniform, the chairman said he's come to appreciate two kinds of courage. In addition to the concept of courage in combat that military members exhibit, "there's also the courage it takes to speak one's mind", he said.
In meetings that Rumsfeld participates in -- forums in which "there are no shrinking violets" -- the secretary has demonstrated the courage to disagree with how others think and to explain his reasons, Pace told the audience. These insights have sometimes changed, not just the course of a conversation, but "quite literally, the course that our country has taken," he said.
"That kind of courage is rare," the chairman said. "And we who serve in the military and in this department have benefited enormously through the courage that our secretary has shown in those meetings."
Pace also praised Rumsfeld's sense of loyalty -- not just up the chain of command, but also down the chain, to the 2.4 million U.S. servicemembers on active duty and in the reserves and National Guard.
Even in those rare occasions when servicemembers step out of line or do "something stupid," Rumsfeld never tries to dodge blame, Pace said.
"Not once," he said -- repeating "not once" for emphasis - "when folks have laid at the feet of our secretary the blame for something that has gone wrong, not once has he done anything other than accept the responsibility," Pace said. "He has never tried to deflect that to any subordinate, even though it was a subordinate's responsibility."
Pace told today's audience he's come to admire Rumsfeld's integrity and his willingness to share other people's opinions, even if they differed from his own.
"It takes enormous integrity to have the kind of strength of conviction that the secretary has to drive to the conclusion that he believes is correct and, at the same time, ensure that the decision maker has in front of him or her all of the information and all of the various ideas," the chairman said.
Rumsfeld, when asked at about incoming Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, said he believes Gates will bring solid leadership to DoD. "I've had two meetings with him, and we've had a good discussion on a variety of things," Rumsfeld said. "The senior folks in the department have been briefing him."
Rumsfeld noted that everyone has different qualities and leadership styles.
"He'll do a good job," he said of Gates. "He'll come in and he'll find a way to begin the process of serving as secretary of defense in a way that fits his background and the needs of the current time. And I've got every confidence that he'll do a terrific job."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and, military personnel and police personnel who have become writers.
Milestone Card Presented in Baghdad
By Samantha L. Quigley
Dec. 8, 2006 – World Wrestling Entertainment personalities delivered a milestone "thank you" message to a U.S. servicemember in Baghdad today. Army 1st Lt. Shannon Terry accepted the 2.6 millionth message generated by "A Million Thanks," a troop-support effort that's the brainchild of Orange, Calif., teenager Shauna Fleming.
A Million Thanks and the WWE are members of America Supports You, a Defense Department program highlighting ways Americans and the corporate sector are supporting the nation's servicemembers. WWE personalities are visiting deployed servicemembers on a tour sponsored by Armed Forces Entertainment.
Fleming started A Million Thanks with the goal of gathering a million notes of gratitude for servicemembers fighting in the global war on terrorism. When she reached that goal, then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers challenged her to go for 2.6 million, which symbolically gives each servicemember in the nation's active and reserve components a letter.
That 2.6 millionth letter was delivered today in front of a cheering crowd of about 1,000 servicemembers.
"I have always wanted to go to Iraq to personally hand out the letters I have received from Americans," Fleming said. "But since I can't be there, I know a huge piece of what I do will be there instead."
On her behalf, the WWE presented the framed letter to Terry with a letter of appreciation from Fleming. The soldier knew she was receiving it, but was a bit shocked by the letter carriers. "I was very pleasantly surprised," the WWE fan said.
It was a job the WWE personalities were happy to have. "Being a part of the WWE, along with Armed Forces Entertainment, and being able to come over here to do what we do is a blessing," John Cena said. "But being able to bring a good word of support and good will from home is absolutely fantastic."
Perhaps even more special to Terry than the method of delivery was who made the card -- Amber and Sean Siegfried of Easton, Pa., for whom she had a special message.
"Continue with your positive attitude, and being an inspiration to us over here," she told the siblings. "You probably don't realize this now, being so young, but you really do make an impact with that kind of attitude, and we really appreciate it."
Amber and Sean said they created the card because servicemembers protect America. "I wanted to thank them because they protect me and my family every day, and protect our rights and freedoms," Amber, 12, said.
It was Sean who first learned of A Million Thanks at school. However, the duo teamed up to decide what it should look like, and they decided that depicting a servicemember holding a child's hand would best symbolize their sentiment. "Showing a servicemember holding a child's hand is a symbol of us caring for what they do in Iraq," Sean said.
Fleming said children have been the biggest contributors to her campaign, so she's pleased that Sean and Amber's letter arrived when it did. "I think it's wonderful that the 2.6 millionth letter we opened was from two wonderful kids from ... Pennsylvania," she said.
While the Siegfried siblings were excited that their card was the 2.6 millionth card A Million Thanks received, Sean was even more excited about who delivered it to Terry. "I was very excited to hear the WWE wrestlers were handing the letter to the soldier," he said. "I am a huge WWE fan."
Fleming said she now knows mountain climbers feel when they reach the summit. "Hitting 2.6 (million letters) was the top of the mountain," she said.
But having reached that goal does not mean Fleming's job supporting the troops is complete. She will continue to collect and distribute letters of support for the troops, and next year brings a new venture as well, she said.
Fleming said visits to wounded troops recovering from their injuries in the United States made her want to do more.
"For 2007, we will be working on fundraising to provide assistance to wounded soldiers and their families," she said. "I saw that there is going to be a huge need for helping soldiers with getting their homes set up to handle wheelchairs and other special needs."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and, military personnel and police personnel who have become writers.
Dec. 8, 2006 – World Wrestling Entertainment personalities delivered a milestone "thank you" message to a U.S. servicemember in Baghdad today. Army 1st Lt. Shannon Terry accepted the 2.6 millionth message generated by "A Million Thanks," a troop-support effort that's the brainchild of Orange, Calif., teenager Shauna Fleming.
A Million Thanks and the WWE are members of America Supports You, a Defense Department program highlighting ways Americans and the corporate sector are supporting the nation's servicemembers. WWE personalities are visiting deployed servicemembers on a tour sponsored by Armed Forces Entertainment.
Fleming started A Million Thanks with the goal of gathering a million notes of gratitude for servicemembers fighting in the global war on terrorism. When she reached that goal, then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers challenged her to go for 2.6 million, which symbolically gives each servicemember in the nation's active and reserve components a letter.
That 2.6 millionth letter was delivered today in front of a cheering crowd of about 1,000 servicemembers.
"I have always wanted to go to Iraq to personally hand out the letters I have received from Americans," Fleming said. "But since I can't be there, I know a huge piece of what I do will be there instead."
On her behalf, the WWE presented the framed letter to Terry with a letter of appreciation from Fleming. The soldier knew she was receiving it, but was a bit shocked by the letter carriers. "I was very pleasantly surprised," the WWE fan said.
It was a job the WWE personalities were happy to have. "Being a part of the WWE, along with Armed Forces Entertainment, and being able to come over here to do what we do is a blessing," John Cena said. "But being able to bring a good word of support and good will from home is absolutely fantastic."
Perhaps even more special to Terry than the method of delivery was who made the card -- Amber and Sean Siegfried of Easton, Pa., for whom she had a special message.
"Continue with your positive attitude, and being an inspiration to us over here," she told the siblings. "You probably don't realize this now, being so young, but you really do make an impact with that kind of attitude, and we really appreciate it."
Amber and Sean said they created the card because servicemembers protect America. "I wanted to thank them because they protect me and my family every day, and protect our rights and freedoms," Amber, 12, said.
It was Sean who first learned of A Million Thanks at school. However, the duo teamed up to decide what it should look like, and they decided that depicting a servicemember holding a child's hand would best symbolize their sentiment. "Showing a servicemember holding a child's hand is a symbol of us caring for what they do in Iraq," Sean said.
Fleming said children have been the biggest contributors to her campaign, so she's pleased that Sean and Amber's letter arrived when it did. "I think it's wonderful that the 2.6 millionth letter we opened was from two wonderful kids from ... Pennsylvania," she said.
While the Siegfried siblings were excited that their card was the 2.6 millionth card A Million Thanks received, Sean was even more excited about who delivered it to Terry. "I was very excited to hear the WWE wrestlers were handing the letter to the soldier," he said. "I am a huge WWE fan."
Fleming said she now knows mountain climbers feel when they reach the summit. "Hitting 2.6 (million letters) was the top of the mountain," she said.
But having reached that goal does not mean Fleming's job supporting the troops is complete. She will continue to collect and distribute letters of support for the troops, and next year brings a new venture as well, she said.
Fleming said visits to wounded troops recovering from their injuries in the United States made her want to do more.
"For 2007, we will be working on fundraising to provide assistance to wounded soldiers and their families," she said. "I saw that there is going to be a huge need for helping soldiers with getting their homes set up to handle wheelchairs and other special needs."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and, military personnel and police personnel who have become writers.
Cold War Leaders Learn About Transformation, Role in Terror War
By Sgt. Aimee Millham, USA
Dec. 7, 2006 – In today's global political environment, when something goes awry, the United States - rightly or wrongly -- can often get the brunt of the blame. This was the blunt assessment of retired German army Gen. Leopold Chalupa as he explained why it is so important for he and other former European leaders to tell the story of U.S. Army, Europe. Chalupa's words came during the USAREUR-sponsored Legion of Merit conference Dec. 5, where about 60 recipients of the medal received briefings on the transformation of U.S. forces in Europe and their leading role in the global war on terrorism.
Having attended every LOM conference since the inaugural one in 1980, Chalupa said he appreciates gaining insight on the actions of the U.S. military in Europe, so that he is well informed when explaining to his countrymen the importance of supporting the U.S. military's involvement in the war on terror.
"I tell (German citizens), 'If you had been in the Empire State Building (on Sept. 11, 2001), the impact of what happened would have been far different than when you sit and watch, like we did, on TV,'" Chalupa said.
He and the other non-U.S. conference attendees all hold the LOM, which is awarded to U.S. servicemembers and to foreign governments' military and political figures for exceptionally meritorious conduct - giving validity to the insights and thought-provoking questions these former senior Cold War leaders offered at the meeting.
"Sitting down with former German corps commanders and former chiefs of staff of NATO organizations was absolutely invaluable," said Brig. Gen. James Boozer, USAREUR deputy chief of staff, adding that the views of these former leaders are priceless assets to a command that is simultaneously transforming and at war.
Such interaction with foreign military leaders remains a central reason for continuing to hold the annual conference, especially with the role allied forces continue to play in U.S. operations worldwide.
"The U.S. is a key player, but we can't do this by ourselves," said Col. Lew Boone, USAREUR's public affairs officer. "One of the main tenets of the USAREUR commanding general's strategy map clearly states: 'Building coalition partners and allies,' and that's what we're about."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online; and, military and police personnel who have become writers.
Dec. 7, 2006 – In today's global political environment, when something goes awry, the United States - rightly or wrongly -- can often get the brunt of the blame. This was the blunt assessment of retired German army Gen. Leopold Chalupa as he explained why it is so important for he and other former European leaders to tell the story of U.S. Army, Europe. Chalupa's words came during the USAREUR-sponsored Legion of Merit conference Dec. 5, where about 60 recipients of the medal received briefings on the transformation of U.S. forces in Europe and their leading role in the global war on terrorism.
Having attended every LOM conference since the inaugural one in 1980, Chalupa said he appreciates gaining insight on the actions of the U.S. military in Europe, so that he is well informed when explaining to his countrymen the importance of supporting the U.S. military's involvement in the war on terror.
"I tell (German citizens), 'If you had been in the Empire State Building (on Sept. 11, 2001), the impact of what happened would have been far different than when you sit and watch, like we did, on TV,'" Chalupa said.
He and the other non-U.S. conference attendees all hold the LOM, which is awarded to U.S. servicemembers and to foreign governments' military and political figures for exceptionally meritorious conduct - giving validity to the insights and thought-provoking questions these former senior Cold War leaders offered at the meeting.
"Sitting down with former German corps commanders and former chiefs of staff of NATO organizations was absolutely invaluable," said Brig. Gen. James Boozer, USAREUR deputy chief of staff, adding that the views of these former leaders are priceless assets to a command that is simultaneously transforming and at war.
Such interaction with foreign military leaders remains a central reason for continuing to hold the annual conference, especially with the role allied forces continue to play in U.S. operations worldwide.
"The U.S. is a key player, but we can't do this by ourselves," said Col. Lew Boone, USAREUR's public affairs officer. "One of the main tenets of the USAREUR commanding general's strategy map clearly states: 'Building coalition partners and allies,' and that's what we're about."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online; and, military and police personnel who have become writers.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Trees for Troops Brings Christmas to Ike
By Seaman Shanika Futrell, USN
Dec. 7, 2006 – Sailors aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower have received eight natural Christmas trees from "Trees for Troops." Trees for Troops started in Columbus, Ohio, when Federal Express joined forces with the Ohio Christmas Tree Association's "Operation Evergreen" to donate more than 200 Christmas trees to deployed servicemembers.
"I received an e-mail from 5th Fleet's chaplain that said there were 20 trees donated from Trees for Troops," Cmdr. John Maurice, Ike's command chaplain, said. "I then contacted the supply officer and Sara Dowell, the 'fun boss,' so we could decide on the amount of trees we would like to request."
Maurice then coordinated the delivery. The Christmas trees were set up on the mess decks and decorated by ship crewmembers to bring a sense of home to Ike. "Having the trees and being able to decorate them reminds us all of home and being around the people we love," Maurice said.
While decorating the Christmas trees, sailors shared holiday spirit with shipmates. "I helped decorate one of the trees, and I think the spirit of the holidays brings out the best of us," Seaman Abel Jimenez said. "No matter how far away from family we are, our love is still the same."
Celebrating holidays is important to deployed sailors because it brings back memories of holidays spent with their families. "It is important to celebrate the holidays on the ship because the crew needs to break up monotony," Dowell said. "It's a good break from the regular day-to-day work schedule."
Christmas is traditionally one of the most cherished holidays of the year, and while out to sea, some sailors dedicated their time to help lift others' spirits.
"Christmas is the time of the year where we can lift our spirits, where most people can hum and sing different carols and songs," Maurice said. "It's also the time of the year to reminisce on the happy times, eat different foods, have parties and give gifts."
The trees bring back the memories for many sailors on the Ike. "Natural trees have a nice cedar scent," Dowell said. "It gives a sense of being at home for the holidays, and the trees alone make the mess decks look festive.
"Sailors aboard Ike had fun, especially the ones who helped decorate. It's nice to see people caring about us by sending the trees to the ship."
Maurice said he plans to thank Trees for Troops for their support and generosity during the holiday season. "We will send a letter to Trees for Troops to show who benefited and extend our gratitude," he said. "Somebody somewhere sacrificed their time and income for our morale, which is certainly along the lines of the Christmas holidays, the time for giving and sharing."
Ike departed its homeport of Norfolk, Va., on Oct. 3, with the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group on a regularly scheduled deployment in support of maritime security operations. Ike and embarked Carrier Air Wing 7 have been flying missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom over Afghanistan since Nov. 6.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online; and, military and police personnel who have become writers.
Dec. 7, 2006 – Sailors aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower have received eight natural Christmas trees from "Trees for Troops." Trees for Troops started in Columbus, Ohio, when Federal Express joined forces with the Ohio Christmas Tree Association's "Operation Evergreen" to donate more than 200 Christmas trees to deployed servicemembers.
"I received an e-mail from 5th Fleet's chaplain that said there were 20 trees donated from Trees for Troops," Cmdr. John Maurice, Ike's command chaplain, said. "I then contacted the supply officer and Sara Dowell, the 'fun boss,' so we could decide on the amount of trees we would like to request."
Maurice then coordinated the delivery. The Christmas trees were set up on the mess decks and decorated by ship crewmembers to bring a sense of home to Ike. "Having the trees and being able to decorate them reminds us all of home and being around the people we love," Maurice said.
While decorating the Christmas trees, sailors shared holiday spirit with shipmates. "I helped decorate one of the trees, and I think the spirit of the holidays brings out the best of us," Seaman Abel Jimenez said. "No matter how far away from family we are, our love is still the same."
Celebrating holidays is important to deployed sailors because it brings back memories of holidays spent with their families. "It is important to celebrate the holidays on the ship because the crew needs to break up monotony," Dowell said. "It's a good break from the regular day-to-day work schedule."
Christmas is traditionally one of the most cherished holidays of the year, and while out to sea, some sailors dedicated their time to help lift others' spirits.
"Christmas is the time of the year where we can lift our spirits, where most people can hum and sing different carols and songs," Maurice said. "It's also the time of the year to reminisce on the happy times, eat different foods, have parties and give gifts."
The trees bring back the memories for many sailors on the Ike. "Natural trees have a nice cedar scent," Dowell said. "It gives a sense of being at home for the holidays, and the trees alone make the mess decks look festive.
"Sailors aboard Ike had fun, especially the ones who helped decorate. It's nice to see people caring about us by sending the trees to the ship."
Maurice said he plans to thank Trees for Troops for their support and generosity during the holiday season. "We will send a letter to Trees for Troops to show who benefited and extend our gratitude," he said. "Somebody somewhere sacrificed their time and income for our morale, which is certainly along the lines of the Christmas holidays, the time for giving and sharing."
Ike departed its homeport of Norfolk, Va., on Oct. 3, with the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group on a regularly scheduled deployment in support of maritime security operations. Ike and embarked Carrier Air Wing 7 have been flying missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom over Afghanistan since Nov. 6.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online; and, military and police personnel who have become writers.
Spectrum Summit Focuses on Current, Future Warfighter Needs
By Donna Miles
Dec. 7, 2006 – Servicemembers on patrols and convoy missions in Iraq and Afghanistan sometimes have to decide if they would rather have access to their radios to call in close-air support if they need it or jammers to disable improvised explosive devices they encounter along the route. That's a decision troops shouldn't have to make, Paige Atkins, director of the Defense Spectrum Organization, told reporters attending the Annual Defense Spectrum Summit 2006 here yesterday. The Defense Spectrum Organization was established as part of the Defense Information Systems Agency in April as DoD's focal point for radio frequency spectrum analysis, planning and support.
Both tactical radios and electronic countermeasures operate through the electromagnetic spectrum, so they can sometimes interfere with one another, Atkins explained. "It may boil down to an operator making a choice (about which system to use)," she said. "And we want to prevent them from having to make a choice between critical functions and protecting lives."
Atkins and her staff are part of a sweeping transformation under way to ensure that troops have access to the information and communications they need without having to worry about other systems degrading them. "And that is what we are trying to ensure: that they have the right capabilities in place to do their mission," Atkins said.
Electromagnetic interference doesn't come just from other U.S. military systems, Atkins explained. Sometimes it comes from systems used by coalition partners or the host nation where U.S. forces are operating. It can come from an enemy who intentionally jams a "friendly" system.
It can also come from a commercial system, Atkins said, noting that the demand for "spectrum-dependent systems" and the band width they need to operate is skyrocketing in the commercial sector.
"We're under a lot of pressure to share our large inventory of spectrum," John Grimes, assistant secretary of defense for networks and information and integration, told participants at the weeklong Defense Spectrum Summit. "A lot of people have a need for it and want it."
DoD and other federal agencies recently auctioned off spectrum from 1710 to 1755 megahertz to the private sector. The auction yielded a whopping $14 billion, much of which will go toward migrating military and government systems to other electromagnetic frequencies.
The government is more likely to share rather than give up additional band width, Atkins said. She noted that officials working on the Presidential Spectrum Reform Initiative are looking into ways to promote sharing between military, federal and commercial entities in a way that doesn't compromise security or access for military users.
"We need to look at the way we manage spectrum from a national perspective and ensure we have the right mechanisms in place to enable economic prosperity and innovation while protecting federal government interests and the national security," she said.
Grimes urged participants at the Defense Spectrum Summit to try to come up with ways to achieve that balance. At the same time, he urged them to help work toward DoD's goal of net-centric operations and warfare in which troops can tap into all the information they need through a secure global network.
"The most important thing is to understand the warfighter issues we have to satisfy," Grimes said.
As DoD builds the foundation for its future network, referred to as the Global Information Grid, Atkins said, it's also working to protect troops in the field today. That includes ensuring that U.S. military systems don't interfere with each other and aren't degraded by allied, host-country or civilian systems, while blocking as much "intentional inference" from an enemy as possible.
Among the immediate issues addressed by the network is the problem with some electronic countermeasures and communication systems.
An analysis cell within the Defense Spectrum Organization operates around the clock, evaluating different systems to determine what, if any, interference they'll cause. Once its staffers identify that, they offer tactics, techniques and procedures warfighters can use to reduce or eliminate the problem.
But the office's focus extends far beyond "deconflicting" U.S. electronic warfare systems and communications systems, Atkins said. It extends to the full range of systems and devices the military uses that operate over electromagnetic waves: from tactical radios and cell phones to radar systems to wireless computers and other wireless systems.
As part of that effort, DoD is working to keep closer tabs on what spectrum-dependent systems it has in the combat zone, where specifically they're operating, and what frequencies and domains they're using. The Global Electromagnetic Spectrum Information System, a new high-tech database, will go a long way toward getting the most out of the military's band width, Atkins said.
"As the environment gets much more crowded from a spectrum-use perspective, we have to find new ways of sharing and ... perhaps reassigning or understanding when systems are not using pieces of the spectrum, to be able to more efficiently use them," she said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online; and, military and police personnel who have become writers.
Dec. 7, 2006 – Servicemembers on patrols and convoy missions in Iraq and Afghanistan sometimes have to decide if they would rather have access to their radios to call in close-air support if they need it or jammers to disable improvised explosive devices they encounter along the route. That's a decision troops shouldn't have to make, Paige Atkins, director of the Defense Spectrum Organization, told reporters attending the Annual Defense Spectrum Summit 2006 here yesterday. The Defense Spectrum Organization was established as part of the Defense Information Systems Agency in April as DoD's focal point for radio frequency spectrum analysis, planning and support.
Both tactical radios and electronic countermeasures operate through the electromagnetic spectrum, so they can sometimes interfere with one another, Atkins explained. "It may boil down to an operator making a choice (about which system to use)," she said. "And we want to prevent them from having to make a choice between critical functions and protecting lives."
Atkins and her staff are part of a sweeping transformation under way to ensure that troops have access to the information and communications they need without having to worry about other systems degrading them. "And that is what we are trying to ensure: that they have the right capabilities in place to do their mission," Atkins said.
Electromagnetic interference doesn't come just from other U.S. military systems, Atkins explained. Sometimes it comes from systems used by coalition partners or the host nation where U.S. forces are operating. It can come from an enemy who intentionally jams a "friendly" system.
It can also come from a commercial system, Atkins said, noting that the demand for "spectrum-dependent systems" and the band width they need to operate is skyrocketing in the commercial sector.
"We're under a lot of pressure to share our large inventory of spectrum," John Grimes, assistant secretary of defense for networks and information and integration, told participants at the weeklong Defense Spectrum Summit. "A lot of people have a need for it and want it."
DoD and other federal agencies recently auctioned off spectrum from 1710 to 1755 megahertz to the private sector. The auction yielded a whopping $14 billion, much of which will go toward migrating military and government systems to other electromagnetic frequencies.
The government is more likely to share rather than give up additional band width, Atkins said. She noted that officials working on the Presidential Spectrum Reform Initiative are looking into ways to promote sharing between military, federal and commercial entities in a way that doesn't compromise security or access for military users.
"We need to look at the way we manage spectrum from a national perspective and ensure we have the right mechanisms in place to enable economic prosperity and innovation while protecting federal government interests and the national security," she said.
Grimes urged participants at the Defense Spectrum Summit to try to come up with ways to achieve that balance. At the same time, he urged them to help work toward DoD's goal of net-centric operations and warfare in which troops can tap into all the information they need through a secure global network.
"The most important thing is to understand the warfighter issues we have to satisfy," Grimes said.
As DoD builds the foundation for its future network, referred to as the Global Information Grid, Atkins said, it's also working to protect troops in the field today. That includes ensuring that U.S. military systems don't interfere with each other and aren't degraded by allied, host-country or civilian systems, while blocking as much "intentional inference" from an enemy as possible.
Among the immediate issues addressed by the network is the problem with some electronic countermeasures and communication systems.
An analysis cell within the Defense Spectrum Organization operates around the clock, evaluating different systems to determine what, if any, interference they'll cause. Once its staffers identify that, they offer tactics, techniques and procedures warfighters can use to reduce or eliminate the problem.
But the office's focus extends far beyond "deconflicting" U.S. electronic warfare systems and communications systems, Atkins said. It extends to the full range of systems and devices the military uses that operate over electromagnetic waves: from tactical radios and cell phones to radar systems to wireless computers and other wireless systems.
As part of that effort, DoD is working to keep closer tabs on what spectrum-dependent systems it has in the combat zone, where specifically they're operating, and what frequencies and domains they're using. The Global Electromagnetic Spectrum Information System, a new high-tech database, will go a long way toward getting the most out of the military's band width, Atkins said.
"As the environment gets much more crowded from a spectrum-use perspective, we have to find new ways of sharing and ... perhaps reassigning or understanding when systems are not using pieces of the spectrum, to be able to more efficiently use them," she said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online; and, military and police personnel who have become writers.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Marvel, AAFES Offer New Military-Only Comic
Dec. 6, 2006 – Just in time for the holiday season, Marvel Comics' "The New Avengers" and the Army and Air Force Exchange Service have teamed up to bring troops stationed around the world another free, military-exclusive comic book. Marvel Comics and the Army Air Force Exchange Service have joined forces to bring servicemembers around the world the fourth installment in the "The New Avengers" military-only comic book series. "The New Avengers: Letters Home" is scheduled to arrive in U.S. exchanges around Dec. 20 and overseas, including 53 facilities throughout operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, shortly thereafter. Courtesy photo '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.Marvel Comics, a division of Marvel Enterprises, Inc., is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program highlighting ways Americans and the corporate sector support the nation's servicemembers.
"The New Avengers: Letters Home" is scheduled to arrive in U.S. exchanges around Dec. 20 and overseas, including the 53 BX/PX facilities throughout operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, shortly thereafter. It's the fourth installment of the military-only comic book series.
"Due to their limited availability, collectors have historically shown great interest in these special AAFES/Marvel Comics editions," Army Col. Max Baker, AAFES chief of staff, said. "If the past is any indicator, 'The New Avenger: Letters Home' issue should go quickly."
Available exclusively at AAFES stores, the newest issue once again features Marvel's superhero Captain America, who, because his regular supporting cast is away for the holidays, is joined by Silver Surfer, Ghost Rider and special guest, The Punisher. When Hydra takes over a military communications satellite, the superheroes spring into action to ensure troops' e-mail messages to loved ones make their way home.
Because of the highly collectible nature and the anticipated demand for the 36-page comic, AAFES officials advise that "The New Avengers: Letters Home" is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and, military personnel and police officer who have become writers.
Safety Committee Promotes Holiday Hazard Awareness
By Kim Sears
Dec. 6, 2006 – Increased alcohol consumption and dangerous road conditions are two of many holiday hazards a Defense Department safety committee is working to remind servicemembers about this season. The Defense Safety Oversight Council is using a series of holiday messages from top DoD officials and Service Safety Center activities to promote awareness and the importance of safe and responsible behavior through the holidays.
The holidays account for an increased amount of safety mishaps DoD-wide, officials said. From drinking and driving to leaving holiday candles unattended, the potential for injury and loss goes up dramatically during this time.
The committee is putting particular emphasis on safe driving, using a series of leadership messages focused on accountability by individuals and the chain of command and the importance of defensive driving.
The council also is directing servicemembers to Service Safety Center Web sites, which have online tools to help local commanders and individuals reduce risks. Online resources include tips, presentations and articles on topics including fireplace safety, suicide prevention, and carbon monoxide poisoning, among others.
In a June 22 memorandum, the Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld reiterated his directive to reduce all safety mishaps within DoD by 75 percent by the end of fiscal 2008. The Defense Safety Oversight Council was created to find ways to meet that goal. David S.C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, is chairman of the council.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and, military personnel and police officer who have become writers.
Dec. 6, 2006 – Increased alcohol consumption and dangerous road conditions are two of many holiday hazards a Defense Department safety committee is working to remind servicemembers about this season. The Defense Safety Oversight Council is using a series of holiday messages from top DoD officials and Service Safety Center activities to promote awareness and the importance of safe and responsible behavior through the holidays.
The holidays account for an increased amount of safety mishaps DoD-wide, officials said. From drinking and driving to leaving holiday candles unattended, the potential for injury and loss goes up dramatically during this time.
The committee is putting particular emphasis on safe driving, using a series of leadership messages focused on accountability by individuals and the chain of command and the importance of defensive driving.
The council also is directing servicemembers to Service Safety Center Web sites, which have online tools to help local commanders and individuals reduce risks. Online resources include tips, presentations and articles on topics including fireplace safety, suicide prevention, and carbon monoxide poisoning, among others.
In a June 22 memorandum, the Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld reiterated his directive to reduce all safety mishaps within DoD by 75 percent by the end of fiscal 2008. The Defense Safety Oversight Council was created to find ways to meet that goal. David S.C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, is chairman of the council.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and, military personnel and police officer who have become writers.
Fort Bliss Offers Example, Lessons for BRAC Gaining Posts
By Donna Miles
Dec. 6, 2006 – Bases slated to grow as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure process need look no farther for lessons learned than this sprawling post that's tripling its population and transforming from an air-defense center to an armor center. Even before the ink had dried on the BRAC 2005 recommendations, Fort Bliss was already preparing to welcome about 20,000 1st Armored Division soldiers and 27,000 family members relocating from Germany, Clark McChesney, director of the post's Transformation Office, told American Forces Press Service.
That plan, part of the Defense Department's global reposturing strategy and the Army's modularization effort, calls for the 1st Armored Division headquarters, four brigade combat teams and a combat aviation brigade from Fort Hood, Texas, to move to Fort Bliss within the next five years. Meanwhile, the Air Defense Artillery Center and School is slated to move from Fort Bliss to Fort Sill, Okla., during the next four years.
Post planners anticipated big growth for the post long before they were formally announced and began laying the initial groundwork for it more than 20 years ago, said Jean Offutt, the post's public affairs officer.
As a result, she said, Fort Bliss is at the leading edge of the sweeping changes under way at other posts around the country and is being looked to by many as a model for growth.
"I was told by the people in Washington that whenever anybody wants to know anything about how to do something or they need a briefing about it, they call Fort Bliss to come and tell them," Offutt said.
McChesney compared planning to boost the post's soldier population from 10,000 to about 30,000 to putting together a puzzle in which all the pieces are the same size and color. "We're trying to figure out how to put the puzzle together here at Fort Bliss," he said. "And I expect that a lot of our other sister installations around the United States are doing the same thing."
Complicating the process, he said, is the fact that the Army is at war, and changeable deployment schedules leave big question marks as to exactly what units will be moving both to and from the post and when.
"I like to talk about this like it's dominoes," he said. "Somebody has to be the first domino to fall. And that first domino has to fall because someone has to move off of Fort Bliss in order to create a vacancy in facilities so that there is a place for that next person to move in."
Some of the first units slated to leave Fort Bliss departed this summer, opening up space for the first incoming units, including the new, high-tech Future Force Integration Directorate.
But even as post officials tweak their planning, the first of the incoming soldiers, the 1st Cavalry Division's 4th Brigade, began arriving in October 2005. The brigade moved into temporary modular facilities but will relocate to permanent facilities when $2.5 billion in construction at Fort Bliss wraps up in 2014, McChesney said.
Post officials broke ground Oct. 23, beginning a six-year construction boom that will transform stretches of mesquite brush and sand dunes on the post's eastern side into state-of-the-art living and training facilities. "We're basically building an entire new city," McChesney said.
Ultimately, the expansion will include new headquarters and administrative spaces, aircraft hangars, arms rooms, unit storage facilities, barracks, dining facilities, fitness centers, medical and dental facilities, motor pool areas, maintenance facilities and wash racks.
Plans also call for $180 million in construction to expand the range complexes, which now serve air defense units, so they're suitable for mounted maneuvers. The expansion plans will tap into the space and capabilities at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., collectively offering 800,000 acres of on- and off-road maneuver area, McChesney said.
"We are going to end up with three major range complexes when this is all done," he said, allowing four combat brigades and a division to conduct everything from individual-soldier training to brigade-level operations.
These new range facilities will enable soldiers "to go out and conduct realistic training that meets their requirements so that they are prepared when they go into combat with the best training facilities that we have to give them," McChesney said.
The Fort Bliss expansion plan also includes a full range of quality-of-life and family-support facilities and programs, too. That includes about 600 new homes, a number McChesney said could increase to about 1,700 depending on results of a local housing analysis. "What the housing market analysis is going to try to do is ... determine what is the capability of El Paso to absorb this growth, and then how much does the Army have to make up?" he said.
Plans also call for new child-care facilities, shopping areas and other quality-of-life activities. "All of those things have to grow to keep up with the population," McChesney said. "You can't just build facilities for soldiers to live in. You also have to be concerned about their quality of life."
Because the post is smack in the middle of El Paso, one of Texas' biggest cities, which is experiencing its own population boom, Fort Bliss planners are working closely with state and local officials to ensure it's the base's growth is a success. "This has really been a huge partnership. ... And one of the real significant lessons learned is that you have to be partners with the folks downtown," McChesney said.
That includes not just the city and county government, but also five local school systems expected to absorb about 9,600 school-age children from Fort Bliss, business developers, homebuilders, realtor associations and transportation officials, among others.
The Texas Department of Transportation is looking at building a $300 million high-speed "inner loop" roadway to support Fort Bliss, and local officials are considering building a community college on the installation, McChesney said.
When the expansion is completed and all the new units have arrived, Fort Bliss will transform back to its historical cavalry roots. The post was originally established to protect the Butterfield Trail and other trade routes, and the 1st Cavalry Division stood up here in 1921, Offutt said. When it relocated here in 2005, the 1st Armored Division's 4th Brigade was returning to its birthplace, she said.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and, military personnel and police officer who have become writers.
Dec. 6, 2006 – Bases slated to grow as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure process need look no farther for lessons learned than this sprawling post that's tripling its population and transforming from an air-defense center to an armor center. Even before the ink had dried on the BRAC 2005 recommendations, Fort Bliss was already preparing to welcome about 20,000 1st Armored Division soldiers and 27,000 family members relocating from Germany, Clark McChesney, director of the post's Transformation Office, told American Forces Press Service.
That plan, part of the Defense Department's global reposturing strategy and the Army's modularization effort, calls for the 1st Armored Division headquarters, four brigade combat teams and a combat aviation brigade from Fort Hood, Texas, to move to Fort Bliss within the next five years. Meanwhile, the Air Defense Artillery Center and School is slated to move from Fort Bliss to Fort Sill, Okla., during the next four years.
Post planners anticipated big growth for the post long before they were formally announced and began laying the initial groundwork for it more than 20 years ago, said Jean Offutt, the post's public affairs officer.
As a result, she said, Fort Bliss is at the leading edge of the sweeping changes under way at other posts around the country and is being looked to by many as a model for growth.
"I was told by the people in Washington that whenever anybody wants to know anything about how to do something or they need a briefing about it, they call Fort Bliss to come and tell them," Offutt said.
McChesney compared planning to boost the post's soldier population from 10,000 to about 30,000 to putting together a puzzle in which all the pieces are the same size and color. "We're trying to figure out how to put the puzzle together here at Fort Bliss," he said. "And I expect that a lot of our other sister installations around the United States are doing the same thing."
Complicating the process, he said, is the fact that the Army is at war, and changeable deployment schedules leave big question marks as to exactly what units will be moving both to and from the post and when.
"I like to talk about this like it's dominoes," he said. "Somebody has to be the first domino to fall. And that first domino has to fall because someone has to move off of Fort Bliss in order to create a vacancy in facilities so that there is a place for that next person to move in."
Some of the first units slated to leave Fort Bliss departed this summer, opening up space for the first incoming units, including the new, high-tech Future Force Integration Directorate.
But even as post officials tweak their planning, the first of the incoming soldiers, the 1st Cavalry Division's 4th Brigade, began arriving in October 2005. The brigade moved into temporary modular facilities but will relocate to permanent facilities when $2.5 billion in construction at Fort Bliss wraps up in 2014, McChesney said.
Post officials broke ground Oct. 23, beginning a six-year construction boom that will transform stretches of mesquite brush and sand dunes on the post's eastern side into state-of-the-art living and training facilities. "We're basically building an entire new city," McChesney said.
Ultimately, the expansion will include new headquarters and administrative spaces, aircraft hangars, arms rooms, unit storage facilities, barracks, dining facilities, fitness centers, medical and dental facilities, motor pool areas, maintenance facilities and wash racks.
Plans also call for $180 million in construction to expand the range complexes, which now serve air defense units, so they're suitable for mounted maneuvers. The expansion plans will tap into the space and capabilities at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., collectively offering 800,000 acres of on- and off-road maneuver area, McChesney said.
"We are going to end up with three major range complexes when this is all done," he said, allowing four combat brigades and a division to conduct everything from individual-soldier training to brigade-level operations.
These new range facilities will enable soldiers "to go out and conduct realistic training that meets their requirements so that they are prepared when they go into combat with the best training facilities that we have to give them," McChesney said.
The Fort Bliss expansion plan also includes a full range of quality-of-life and family-support facilities and programs, too. That includes about 600 new homes, a number McChesney said could increase to about 1,700 depending on results of a local housing analysis. "What the housing market analysis is going to try to do is ... determine what is the capability of El Paso to absorb this growth, and then how much does the Army have to make up?" he said.
Plans also call for new child-care facilities, shopping areas and other quality-of-life activities. "All of those things have to grow to keep up with the population," McChesney said. "You can't just build facilities for soldiers to live in. You also have to be concerned about their quality of life."
Because the post is smack in the middle of El Paso, one of Texas' biggest cities, which is experiencing its own population boom, Fort Bliss planners are working closely with state and local officials to ensure it's the base's growth is a success. "This has really been a huge partnership. ... And one of the real significant lessons learned is that you have to be partners with the folks downtown," McChesney said.
That includes not just the city and county government, but also five local school systems expected to absorb about 9,600 school-age children from Fort Bliss, business developers, homebuilders, realtor associations and transportation officials, among others.
The Texas Department of Transportation is looking at building a $300 million high-speed "inner loop" roadway to support Fort Bliss, and local officials are considering building a community college on the installation, McChesney said.
When the expansion is completed and all the new units have arrived, Fort Bliss will transform back to its historical cavalry roots. The post was originally established to protect the Butterfield Trail and other trade routes, and the 1st Cavalry Division stood up here in 1921, Offutt said. When it relocated here in 2005, the 1st Armored Division's 4th Brigade was returning to its birthplace, she said.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and, military personnel and police officer who have become writers.
DoD Civilians Prove Disability Is No Handicap
By Gerry J. Gilmore
Dec. 6, 2006 – Lisa Marie Waugh offers tried-and-true advice to people with disabilities who want to get ahead in life: "You should let nothing stop you." Waugh, an intelligence research specialist with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, at Fort Belvoir, Va., has successfully dealt with Stargardt's disease, a malady that has compromised her vision.
"I'm just thankful for what I have," Waugh said.
Waugh was among 14 Defense Department employees honored at the 26th Annual DoD Disability Awards held yesterday in Bethesda, Md.
David S. C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, hosted the event and presented awards to outstanding DoD civilian employees with disabilities. The award ceremony was followed by the start of a federal disability forum that's held each year.
"This is the only annual training conference that focuses exclusively on federal employment of individuals with disabilities," Chu said, noting President Bush is dedicated to help disabled Americans reach their full potential.
The Defense Department is a recognized leader in assisting disabled persons to have full and productive lives, Chu said, noting DoD hired 206 disabled students for permanent and summer jobs this year. Some occupations filled under the program included aerospace engineer, accounting clerk, park ranger, archeologist, cartographic aide, and store worker.
"The program, I believe, has proven to be an excellent pipeline to careers in the (DoD) civilian workforce for those with disabilities," Chu said.
DoD now employs more than 5,000 people with severe disabilities targeted by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Chu said. "That is almost 1 percent of our civilian workforce. While that percentage is higher than in some other agencies, we do know that it should be higher still," he said.
The theme for this year's National Disability Employment Awareness Month held in October, "Americans with Disabilities: Ready for the Global Workforce," is very fitting, Chu said.
"It's a most appropriate theme, particularly when I think about how much defense has been able to do to improve job opportunities for those with disabilities, including military personnel who've been wounded in combat," Chu said.
The Defense Department is committed to its programs that prepare wounded servicemembers for their futures, he said. The Military Severely Injured Center program serves as a coordinating mechanism and umbrella organization for similar programs managed by each military branch.
New technology and shifting attitudes have enabled many wounded servicemembers to opt to stay on military duty, Chu said. The federal government-wide Computer/Electronics Accommodations Program started by DoD in 1990 helps eliminate barriers in the workplace and assists disabled persons to achieve their full potential. Recent federal legislation has given CAP the authority to serve wounded servicemembers, as well as disabled government civilians, Chu said.
Keynote speaker John R. Vaughn, chairman of the National Council on Disability, urged DoD, other federal agencies and private-sector employers not to forget that disabled people make excellent, productive employees.
Vaughn, a retired businessman who as a young man lost his sight to a degenerative eye disease, said there should be a national campaign with the slogan, "Don't Count Me Out," that highlights the advantages of hiring disabled people.
"We've got to believe in giving everybody a chance to be whatever they can," Vaughn said, noting disabled people meld well with today's fluid, global business environment.
"I don't know of anybody else who is a better champion for change and dealing with change than a person with a disability where their whole life has been turned upside down," Vaughn said.
Chu also presented awards to:
-- Leslie Eden Bell, an attorney with the National Security Agency, at Fort Meade, Md.;
-- Chester Bogart III, a materials handler at Tobyhanna Army Depot, Pa.;
-- Deirdre J. Carter, a copier and duplicating equipment operator at the Defense Logistics Agency, in Whitehall, Ohio;
-- Paul Robert Gabriel, an electronics engineer at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas;
-- Jerome Anthony Knight, a laborer with the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, at Fort Eustis, Va.;
-- Derek Alan Lee, a commissary support clerk at the Defense Commissary Agency, at Fort Lee, Va.;
-- Carlene J. Miles, a digital production system assistant with the National Guard Bureau, in Blackstone, Va.;
-- Vicki D. Morgan, an accounting technician with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, in Rome, N.Y.;
-- Christine Rose Murphy, an information technology specialist with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, in Washington, D.C.;
-- Judy C. Spain, a management analyst with the Defense Contract Management Agency, in Indianapolis;
-- Gregory Paul Springer, a systems engineer with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, in Bethesda, Md.; and
-- Dr. James Nelson Templeman, a computer engineer at the Naval Research Laboratory, in Washington, D.C.
Chu also honored three DoD components for their outstanding accomplishments in their affirmative action programs for people with disabilities. The awards are brass cups that are passed on from the previous year's winners.
The Best Military Department award went to the Department of the Army, and the Defense Logistics Agency earned Best Mid-Size Component honors. The Defense Security Service took the Best Small Component award.
The Army and DLA also won last year in their respective categories.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and, military personnel and police officer who have become writers.
Dec. 6, 2006 – Lisa Marie Waugh offers tried-and-true advice to people with disabilities who want to get ahead in life: "You should let nothing stop you." Waugh, an intelligence research specialist with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, at Fort Belvoir, Va., has successfully dealt with Stargardt's disease, a malady that has compromised her vision.
"I'm just thankful for what I have," Waugh said.
Waugh was among 14 Defense Department employees honored at the 26th Annual DoD Disability Awards held yesterday in Bethesda, Md.
David S. C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, hosted the event and presented awards to outstanding DoD civilian employees with disabilities. The award ceremony was followed by the start of a federal disability forum that's held each year.
"This is the only annual training conference that focuses exclusively on federal employment of individuals with disabilities," Chu said, noting President Bush is dedicated to help disabled Americans reach their full potential.
The Defense Department is a recognized leader in assisting disabled persons to have full and productive lives, Chu said, noting DoD hired 206 disabled students for permanent and summer jobs this year. Some occupations filled under the program included aerospace engineer, accounting clerk, park ranger, archeologist, cartographic aide, and store worker.
"The program, I believe, has proven to be an excellent pipeline to careers in the (DoD) civilian workforce for those with disabilities," Chu said.
DoD now employs more than 5,000 people with severe disabilities targeted by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Chu said. "That is almost 1 percent of our civilian workforce. While that percentage is higher than in some other agencies, we do know that it should be higher still," he said.
The theme for this year's National Disability Employment Awareness Month held in October, "Americans with Disabilities: Ready for the Global Workforce," is very fitting, Chu said.
"It's a most appropriate theme, particularly when I think about how much defense has been able to do to improve job opportunities for those with disabilities, including military personnel who've been wounded in combat," Chu said.
The Defense Department is committed to its programs that prepare wounded servicemembers for their futures, he said. The Military Severely Injured Center program serves as a coordinating mechanism and umbrella organization for similar programs managed by each military branch.
New technology and shifting attitudes have enabled many wounded servicemembers to opt to stay on military duty, Chu said. The federal government-wide Computer/Electronics Accommodations Program started by DoD in 1990 helps eliminate barriers in the workplace and assists disabled persons to achieve their full potential. Recent federal legislation has given CAP the authority to serve wounded servicemembers, as well as disabled government civilians, Chu said.
Keynote speaker John R. Vaughn, chairman of the National Council on Disability, urged DoD, other federal agencies and private-sector employers not to forget that disabled people make excellent, productive employees.
Vaughn, a retired businessman who as a young man lost his sight to a degenerative eye disease, said there should be a national campaign with the slogan, "Don't Count Me Out," that highlights the advantages of hiring disabled people.
"We've got to believe in giving everybody a chance to be whatever they can," Vaughn said, noting disabled people meld well with today's fluid, global business environment.
"I don't know of anybody else who is a better champion for change and dealing with change than a person with a disability where their whole life has been turned upside down," Vaughn said.
Chu also presented awards to:
-- Leslie Eden Bell, an attorney with the National Security Agency, at Fort Meade, Md.;
-- Chester Bogart III, a materials handler at Tobyhanna Army Depot, Pa.;
-- Deirdre J. Carter, a copier and duplicating equipment operator at the Defense Logistics Agency, in Whitehall, Ohio;
-- Paul Robert Gabriel, an electronics engineer at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas;
-- Jerome Anthony Knight, a laborer with the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, at Fort Eustis, Va.;
-- Derek Alan Lee, a commissary support clerk at the Defense Commissary Agency, at Fort Lee, Va.;
-- Carlene J. Miles, a digital production system assistant with the National Guard Bureau, in Blackstone, Va.;
-- Vicki D. Morgan, an accounting technician with the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, in Rome, N.Y.;
-- Christine Rose Murphy, an information technology specialist with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, in Washington, D.C.;
-- Judy C. Spain, a management analyst with the Defense Contract Management Agency, in Indianapolis;
-- Gregory Paul Springer, a systems engineer with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, in Bethesda, Md.; and
-- Dr. James Nelson Templeman, a computer engineer at the Naval Research Laboratory, in Washington, D.C.
Chu also honored three DoD components for their outstanding accomplishments in their affirmative action programs for people with disabilities. The awards are brass cups that are passed on from the previous year's winners.
The Best Military Department award went to the Department of the Army, and the Defense Logistics Agency earned Best Mid-Size Component honors. The Defense Security Service took the Best Small Component award.
The Army and DLA also won last year in their respective categories.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and, military personnel and police officer who have become writers.
Officials Weigh Need for Africa Command
By Jim Garamone
Dec. 6, 2006 – Defense Department officials continue to examine the idea of establishing a U.S. Africa Command, a top DoD official said here this week. A team of DoD officials is looking at all options in examining the need for a new combatant command, Theresa Whelan, deputy assistant secretary of defense for African affairs, said in an interview.
Responsibility for U.S. military operations in Africa is currently divided among three combatant commands. The area from Kenya to Egypt is part of U.S. Central Command. The rest of the continent falls under the auspices of U.S. European Command. The eastern island nations are in U.S. Pacific Command's area of operations.
"We are looking at different ways of organizing DoD for doing business in Africa," Whelan said. "The different circumstances and threats have caused us to take a step back and look at the way we're doing business."
There is no set date for a decision on establishing a new command or finding another means for handling operations in Africa, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said today. Officials are working to decide on the best course of action: to stick with the status quo, to establish a subordinate command, or to stand up a full out combatant command, on par with European Command and Central Command.
The group will make its recommendations through the Joint Chiefs of Staff before presenting them to the chairman and the secretary for a decision.
Whelan said the security environment in Africa has changed fundamentally in the last decade. "You have a situation where the threats are not confined to state actors or geographically confined," she said. "You don't have to look to a state that has a large military to find an entity that can threaten U.S. security in a serious way."
She said the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, brought that home in a very stark and tragic manner. "Africa is an environment that has the potential to be used by these non-state actors to achieve or at least move closer to their ends," she said.
Africa has seen its own attacks. Al Qaeda attacked the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, killing hundreds of innocent people, most of them local citizens. Other terrorist organizations have been regionally focused in the past, but now are expanding their interests and jumping on the al Qaeda bandwagon, Whelan said.
The United States military always has paid attention to the continent. In the past, the U.S. military has had bases in Ethiopia, Libya, Liberia and Morocco.
Poor governance, wars and population pressures are some of the human-caused problems on the continent, but natural threats need to be dealt with as well, Whelan said. "There are clearly challenges in terms of disease -- AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis -- are major threats," she said. "Your issue is you have these major demographic changes caused by disease and the untimely death of the working-age population. The African population in many countries is now very young or very old, Whelan said.
A U.S. Africa Command would work at "preventing problems from becoming crises and crises from becoming catastrophes," Whelan said. "Instead of the United States being reactive, ... we want to be more proactive in promoting security, to build African capacity to build their own environments and not be subject to the instability that has toppled governments and caused so much pain on the continent."
She likened it to a fire department. Instead of waiting until a fire breaks out, U.S. Africa Command would be like firefighters who work with the community to promote fire safety or help businesses install sprinklers. "It may prevent a fire or lessen the magnitude of damage," she said.
If officials decide to go ahead with a U.S. Africa Command, "you would clearly want to have it based on that continent." But, she said, there are a lot of ways to "skin that cat."
The command may have its main headquarters in the United States, but forward operating bases in Africa.
The command would not necessarily have a large number of people. The needs are so great in Africa that a little can go a long way, she said. The command would coordinate training teams, advisory teams, civil affairs teams, medical and veterinary aid to the continent. It would also help interface with other government agencies and non-governmental aid groups in efforts on the continent.
In short, it would not look like other U.S. combatant commands. "Africa Command will not be a cookie-cutter organization," Whelan said. "If we go this way, it will be something different."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and, military personnel and police officer who have become writers.
Dec. 6, 2006 – Defense Department officials continue to examine the idea of establishing a U.S. Africa Command, a top DoD official said here this week. A team of DoD officials is looking at all options in examining the need for a new combatant command, Theresa Whelan, deputy assistant secretary of defense for African affairs, said in an interview.
Responsibility for U.S. military operations in Africa is currently divided among three combatant commands. The area from Kenya to Egypt is part of U.S. Central Command. The rest of the continent falls under the auspices of U.S. European Command. The eastern island nations are in U.S. Pacific Command's area of operations.
"We are looking at different ways of organizing DoD for doing business in Africa," Whelan said. "The different circumstances and threats have caused us to take a step back and look at the way we're doing business."
There is no set date for a decision on establishing a new command or finding another means for handling operations in Africa, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said today. Officials are working to decide on the best course of action: to stick with the status quo, to establish a subordinate command, or to stand up a full out combatant command, on par with European Command and Central Command.
The group will make its recommendations through the Joint Chiefs of Staff before presenting them to the chairman and the secretary for a decision.
Whelan said the security environment in Africa has changed fundamentally in the last decade. "You have a situation where the threats are not confined to state actors or geographically confined," she said. "You don't have to look to a state that has a large military to find an entity that can threaten U.S. security in a serious way."
She said the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, brought that home in a very stark and tragic manner. "Africa is an environment that has the potential to be used by these non-state actors to achieve or at least move closer to their ends," she said.
Africa has seen its own attacks. Al Qaeda attacked the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, killing hundreds of innocent people, most of them local citizens. Other terrorist organizations have been regionally focused in the past, but now are expanding their interests and jumping on the al Qaeda bandwagon, Whelan said.
The United States military always has paid attention to the continent. In the past, the U.S. military has had bases in Ethiopia, Libya, Liberia and Morocco.
Poor governance, wars and population pressures are some of the human-caused problems on the continent, but natural threats need to be dealt with as well, Whelan said. "There are clearly challenges in terms of disease -- AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis -- are major threats," she said. "Your issue is you have these major demographic changes caused by disease and the untimely death of the working-age population. The African population in many countries is now very young or very old, Whelan said.
A U.S. Africa Command would work at "preventing problems from becoming crises and crises from becoming catastrophes," Whelan said. "Instead of the United States being reactive, ... we want to be more proactive in promoting security, to build African capacity to build their own environments and not be subject to the instability that has toppled governments and caused so much pain on the continent."
She likened it to a fire department. Instead of waiting until a fire breaks out, U.S. Africa Command would be like firefighters who work with the community to promote fire safety or help businesses install sprinklers. "It may prevent a fire or lessen the magnitude of damage," she said.
If officials decide to go ahead with a U.S. Africa Command, "you would clearly want to have it based on that continent." But, she said, there are a lot of ways to "skin that cat."
The command may have its main headquarters in the United States, but forward operating bases in Africa.
The command would not necessarily have a large number of people. The needs are so great in Africa that a little can go a long way, she said. The command would coordinate training teams, advisory teams, civil affairs teams, medical and veterinary aid to the continent. It would also help interface with other government agencies and non-governmental aid groups in efforts on the continent.
In short, it would not look like other U.S. combatant commands. "Africa Command will not be a cookie-cutter organization," Whelan said. "If we go this way, it will be something different."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and, military personnel and police officer who have become writers.
Navy to Christen USNS Alan Shepard
The Navy will christen the USNS Alan Shepard, the newest ship in the Lewis and Clark class of underway replenishment ships, on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2006, during an 8 a.m. PST launching at General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO), San Diego, Calif.
The ship honors the first American in space, Rear Adm. Alan B. Shepard Jr. Like the legendary explorers, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, for whom the first ship of the class was named, Shepard bravely volunteered to explore the unknown and became the first American in space. Thus began one of the most challenging endeavors in human history: the manned exploration of space.
Shepard graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., in 1944. He served aboard destroyers in the Pacific during World War II and later entered flight training, receiving his designation as a naval aviator in 1947. Shepard served several tours in fleet squadrons and was selected to attend the Navy Test Pilot School in 1950. He logged more than 8,000 hours of flying time.
In 1959, Shepard was one of seven men chosen by NASA for the Mercury manned space flight program. Two years later, he became the first American to journey into space in the Freedom 7 spacecraft launched by a Redstone rocket on a suborbital flight. He reached an altitude of 116 miles.
In 1963, he was designated chief of the Astronaut Office with responsibility for monitoring the coordination, scheduling and control of all activities involving NASA astronauts. Shepard made his second space flight as spacecraft commander on Apollo 14 in 1971. He was accompanied on the third U.S. lunar landing mission by Stuart A. Roosa, command module pilot, and Edgar D. Mitchell, lunar module pilot. Shepard logged 216 hours and 57 minutes in space, of which 9 hours and 17 minutes were spent in lunar surface extravehicular activity. He resumed his duties as chief of the Astronaut Office in June 1971 and served in this capacity until he retired from NASA and the Navy on Aug. 1, 1974.
After his Navy and NASA careers, he entered private business in Houston and served as the president of the Mercury Seven Foundation, a non-profit organization now known as the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation that provides college science scholarships for deserving students. Shepard died July 21, 1998, at the age of 74.
John H. Sununu, former governor of New Hampshire, will deliver the ceremony's principal address. Laura Churchley will serve as sponsor of the ship named for her father. The launching ceremony will be highlighted in the time-honored Navy tradition when the sponsor breaks a bottle of champagne across the bow to formally christen the ship "Alan Shepard."
The USNS Alan Shepard is the third ship in the Navy's new 11-ship T-AKE 1 Class. T-AKE is a combat logistics force vessel intended to replace the current capability of the T-AE 26 Kilauea-Class ammunition ships, T-AFS 1 Mars-Class combat stores ships and, when operating with T-AO 187 Henry J. Kaiser-Class oiler ships, the AOE 1 Sacramento-Class fast combat support ships. To conduct vertical replenishment, the ship will support two military logistics helicopters.
Designed to operate independently for extended periods at sea while providing replenishment services to U.S., NATO and allied ships, the USNS Alan Shepard will directly contribute to the ability of the Navy to maintain a worldwide forward presence. Ships such as Alan Shepard provide logistic lift from sources of supply either in port or at sea from specially equipped merchant ships. The ship will transfer cargo (ammunition, food, limited quantities of fuel, repair parts, ship store items, and expendable supplies and material) to ships and other naval warfare forces at sea.
The USNS Alan Shepard is 689 feet in length, has an overall beam of 106 feet, a navigational draft of 30 feet, and displaces approximately 42,000 tons. Powered by a single-shaft diesel-electric propulsion system, the ship can reach a speed of 20 knots. As part of the Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force, the ship will be designated USNS. The term stands for United States Naval Ship. Unlike their United States Ship (USS) counterparts, USNS vessels are manned primarily by civil service and civilian mariners working for the U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command, Washington, D.C.
Additional information about this class of ship is available on line at http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4400&tid=500&ct=4 .
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and, military personnel and police officer who have become writers.
The ship honors the first American in space, Rear Adm. Alan B. Shepard Jr. Like the legendary explorers, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, for whom the first ship of the class was named, Shepard bravely volunteered to explore the unknown and became the first American in space. Thus began one of the most challenging endeavors in human history: the manned exploration of space.
Shepard graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., in 1944. He served aboard destroyers in the Pacific during World War II and later entered flight training, receiving his designation as a naval aviator in 1947. Shepard served several tours in fleet squadrons and was selected to attend the Navy Test Pilot School in 1950. He logged more than 8,000 hours of flying time.
In 1959, Shepard was one of seven men chosen by NASA for the Mercury manned space flight program. Two years later, he became the first American to journey into space in the Freedom 7 spacecraft launched by a Redstone rocket on a suborbital flight. He reached an altitude of 116 miles.
In 1963, he was designated chief of the Astronaut Office with responsibility for monitoring the coordination, scheduling and control of all activities involving NASA astronauts. Shepard made his second space flight as spacecraft commander on Apollo 14 in 1971. He was accompanied on the third U.S. lunar landing mission by Stuart A. Roosa, command module pilot, and Edgar D. Mitchell, lunar module pilot. Shepard logged 216 hours and 57 minutes in space, of which 9 hours and 17 minutes were spent in lunar surface extravehicular activity. He resumed his duties as chief of the Astronaut Office in June 1971 and served in this capacity until he retired from NASA and the Navy on Aug. 1, 1974.
After his Navy and NASA careers, he entered private business in Houston and served as the president of the Mercury Seven Foundation, a non-profit organization now known as the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation that provides college science scholarships for deserving students. Shepard died July 21, 1998, at the age of 74.
John H. Sununu, former governor of New Hampshire, will deliver the ceremony's principal address. Laura Churchley will serve as sponsor of the ship named for her father. The launching ceremony will be highlighted in the time-honored Navy tradition when the sponsor breaks a bottle of champagne across the bow to formally christen the ship "Alan Shepard."
The USNS Alan Shepard is the third ship in the Navy's new 11-ship T-AKE 1 Class. T-AKE is a combat logistics force vessel intended to replace the current capability of the T-AE 26 Kilauea-Class ammunition ships, T-AFS 1 Mars-Class combat stores ships and, when operating with T-AO 187 Henry J. Kaiser-Class oiler ships, the AOE 1 Sacramento-Class fast combat support ships. To conduct vertical replenishment, the ship will support two military logistics helicopters.
Designed to operate independently for extended periods at sea while providing replenishment services to U.S., NATO and allied ships, the USNS Alan Shepard will directly contribute to the ability of the Navy to maintain a worldwide forward presence. Ships such as Alan Shepard provide logistic lift from sources of supply either in port or at sea from specially equipped merchant ships. The ship will transfer cargo (ammunition, food, limited quantities of fuel, repair parts, ship store items, and expendable supplies and material) to ships and other naval warfare forces at sea.
The USNS Alan Shepard is 689 feet in length, has an overall beam of 106 feet, a navigational draft of 30 feet, and displaces approximately 42,000 tons. Powered by a single-shaft diesel-electric propulsion system, the ship can reach a speed of 20 knots. As part of the Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force, the ship will be designated USNS. The term stands for United States Naval Ship. Unlike their United States Ship (USS) counterparts, USNS vessels are manned primarily by civil service and civilian mariners working for the U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command, Washington, D.C.
Additional information about this class of ship is available on line at http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4400&tid=500&ct=4 .
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and, military personnel and police officer who have become writers.
Report: Iraq Situation Serious, But Not Lost
By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
Dec. 6, 2006 – The Iraq Study Group released its findings today in a report made available this morning to President Bush and Congress, and later to the general public.
"We believe that the situation in Iraq today is very, very serious," former U.S. Rep. Lee Hamilton, co-chair of the bipartisan panel commissioned by Congress to examine the way ahead in Iraq, said at a news conference following the report's release.
"We do not know if it can be turned around, but we think we have an obligation to try, and if the recommendations that we have made are effectively implemented, there is at least a chance that you can see established a stable government in Iraq and stability in the region," Hamilton said. "The task ahead of us is daunting -- very, very difficult -- and we recognize that, but it is not by any means lost."
Members of the study group agree with the administration's goal in Iraq: to create a country that can govern, sustain and defend itself, former Secretary of State James Baker, co-chair of the group, said at the news conference. However, the group believes a new approach is needed in Iraq, he said.
"As a matter of humanitarian concern, as a matter of national interest, and as a matter of practical necessity, it is time to find a new way forward, a new approach," Baker said.
The report recommends a five-fold increase in the number of U.S. forces training Iraqi troops, he said, but does not endorse a large-scale increase in U.S. forces overall, a "stay the course" solution, or a division of Iraq into three autonomous regions.
The Iraq Study Group included a total of 79 recommendations in its report, Baker said. These recommendations cover military, political and diplomatic issues, as well as criminal justice, oil, reconstruction, the U.S. budget process, the training of U.S. government personnel, and U.S. intelligence, he said.
The group's three most important recommendations are equally important and reinforce each other, Baker said. The first is a change in the primary mission of U.S. forces in Iraq that will enable the U.S. to move its combat forces out of Iraq responsibly. The second recommendation is prompt action by the Iraqi government to achieve milestones, particularly on national reconciliation. The third is a new and enhanced diplomatic and political effort in Iraq and in the region.
"The primary mission of U.S. forces in Iraq should evolve to one of supporting the Iraqi army, which would take over primary responsibility for combat operations," the group's report states. "By the first quarter of 2008, subject to unexpected developments in the security situation on the ground, all combat brigades not necessary for force protection could be out of Iraq.
"At that time, U.S. combat forces in Iraq could be deployed only in units embedded with Iraqi forces, in rapid-reaction and special operations teams, and in training, equipping, advising, force protection, and search and rescue," the report states. "Intelligence and support efforts would continue. A vital mission of those rapid reaction and special operations forces would be to undertake strikes against al Qaeda in Iraq."
It is clear that the Iraqi government will need assistance from the United States for some time to come, especially in carrying out security responsibilities, according to the report.
"Yet the United States must make it clear to the Iraqi government that the United States could carry out its plans, including planned redeployments, even if the Iraqi government did not implement their planned changes," it states. "The United States must not make an open-ended commitment to keep large numbers of American troops deployed in Iraq."
"Our group offers and supports each and every one of our recommendations unanimously," Baker said. "We of course recognize that some people will differ with some of these recommendations; we nevertheless hope very much that in moving forward, others will wish to continue to broaden and deepen the bipartisan spirit that has helped us to come together."
Hamilton and Baker both said that if the group's recommendations are effectively implemented, the chances for success in Iraq will be greatly improved.
After receiving the report this morning, President Bush pledged to take the recommendations seriously and act in a timely fashion. "This report gives a very tough assessment of the situation in Iraq," Bush said. "It is a report that brings some really very interesting proposals, and we will take every proposal seriously, and we will act in a timely fashion."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and, military personnel and police officer who have become writers.
Dec. 6, 2006 – The Iraq Study Group released its findings today in a report made available this morning to President Bush and Congress, and later to the general public.
"We believe that the situation in Iraq today is very, very serious," former U.S. Rep. Lee Hamilton, co-chair of the bipartisan panel commissioned by Congress to examine the way ahead in Iraq, said at a news conference following the report's release.
"We do not know if it can be turned around, but we think we have an obligation to try, and if the recommendations that we have made are effectively implemented, there is at least a chance that you can see established a stable government in Iraq and stability in the region," Hamilton said. "The task ahead of us is daunting -- very, very difficult -- and we recognize that, but it is not by any means lost."
Members of the study group agree with the administration's goal in Iraq: to create a country that can govern, sustain and defend itself, former Secretary of State James Baker, co-chair of the group, said at the news conference. However, the group believes a new approach is needed in Iraq, he said.
"As a matter of humanitarian concern, as a matter of national interest, and as a matter of practical necessity, it is time to find a new way forward, a new approach," Baker said.
The report recommends a five-fold increase in the number of U.S. forces training Iraqi troops, he said, but does not endorse a large-scale increase in U.S. forces overall, a "stay the course" solution, or a division of Iraq into three autonomous regions.
The Iraq Study Group included a total of 79 recommendations in its report, Baker said. These recommendations cover military, political and diplomatic issues, as well as criminal justice, oil, reconstruction, the U.S. budget process, the training of U.S. government personnel, and U.S. intelligence, he said.
The group's three most important recommendations are equally important and reinforce each other, Baker said. The first is a change in the primary mission of U.S. forces in Iraq that will enable the U.S. to move its combat forces out of Iraq responsibly. The second recommendation is prompt action by the Iraqi government to achieve milestones, particularly on national reconciliation. The third is a new and enhanced diplomatic and political effort in Iraq and in the region.
"The primary mission of U.S. forces in Iraq should evolve to one of supporting the Iraqi army, which would take over primary responsibility for combat operations," the group's report states. "By the first quarter of 2008, subject to unexpected developments in the security situation on the ground, all combat brigades not necessary for force protection could be out of Iraq.
"At that time, U.S. combat forces in Iraq could be deployed only in units embedded with Iraqi forces, in rapid-reaction and special operations teams, and in training, equipping, advising, force protection, and search and rescue," the report states. "Intelligence and support efforts would continue. A vital mission of those rapid reaction and special operations forces would be to undertake strikes against al Qaeda in Iraq."
It is clear that the Iraqi government will need assistance from the United States for some time to come, especially in carrying out security responsibilities, according to the report.
"Yet the United States must make it clear to the Iraqi government that the United States could carry out its plans, including planned redeployments, even if the Iraqi government did not implement their planned changes," it states. "The United States must not make an open-ended commitment to keep large numbers of American troops deployed in Iraq."
"Our group offers and supports each and every one of our recommendations unanimously," Baker said. "We of course recognize that some people will differ with some of these recommendations; we nevertheless hope very much that in moving forward, others will wish to continue to broaden and deepen the bipartisan spirit that has helped us to come together."
Hamilton and Baker both said that if the group's recommendations are effectively implemented, the chances for success in Iraq will be greatly improved.
After receiving the report this morning, President Bush pledged to take the recommendations seriously and act in a timely fashion. "This report gives a very tough assessment of the situation in Iraq," Bush said. "It is a report that brings some really very interesting proposals, and we will take every proposal seriously, and we will act in a timely fashion."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online; and, military personnel and police officer who have become writers.
Gates Vows to Focus on Iraq, Troop Welfare if Confirmed
By Donna Miles
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2006 – Defense secretary nominee Robert M. Gates told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing today that if he's confirmed to the top Pentagon post, his highest calling will be to ensure success in Iraq and look out for the men and women in uniform. Gates told committee members during his opening statement that he's "under no illusion why I am sitting before you today: the war in Iraq." He said he recognizes the importance of improving the situation there.
During a questioning period, Gates said he doesn't believe the coalition is currently winning in Iraq. But, he added, he also agrees with Marine Gen. Peter Pace's assessment, offered Nov. 29 during a Pentagon news conference, that the coalition is not losing, either.
The period ahead is critical in tipping that scale, Gates said.
"Developments in Iraq over the next year or two will, I believe, shape the entire Middle East and greatly influence global geopolitics for many years to come," he said. "Our course over the next year or two will determine whether the American and Iraqi people and the next president of the United States will face a slowly but steadily improving situation in Iraq and in the region or will face the very real risk of a possible reality of a regional conflagration."
Achieving victory will require cooperation and close coordination by the many players involved. "We need to work together to develop a strategy that does not leave Iraq in chaos, and that protects our long-term interests in and hopes for the region," he said.
Gates said he's open to alternative strategies and tactics for operations in Iraq, including those expected soon from the Iraq Study Group, which he was involved with until President Bush nominated him as defense secretary Nov. 8.
He told the committee he also will consult with military leaders and combatant commanders in the field and "will give most serious consideration to the views of those who lead our men and women in uniform."
Gates said he also will consult with leaders in the executive branch and Congress and share that input with the president and National Security Council. "Of course, it is the president who will decide what, if any, changes are made in our approach," he said.
He told committee members the "most humbling" part of his job, if confirmed as defense secretary, will be making decisions that will have life-and-death consequences. "Our country is at war, and if confirmed, I will be charged with leading the men and women who are fighting it," he said.
Gates offered high praise to the U.S. armed forces and said they proudly carry on the tradition of their predecessors, who have fought the country's wars for the past 230 years.
"The patriots who have volunteered to serve in our armed services today have no equal in the world," he said. "I offer this committee my solemn commitment to keep the welfare of our forces uppermost in my mind."
Gates, a former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, told committee members he did not seek a return to government or the job of defense secretary. "I am here because I love my country and because the president of the United States believes I can help in a difficult time," he said. "I hope you will reach a similar conclusion."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online and, police officer and military personnel who have become authors.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2006 – Defense secretary nominee Robert M. Gates told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing today that if he's confirmed to the top Pentagon post, his highest calling will be to ensure success in Iraq and look out for the men and women in uniform. Gates told committee members during his opening statement that he's "under no illusion why I am sitting before you today: the war in Iraq." He said he recognizes the importance of improving the situation there.
During a questioning period, Gates said he doesn't believe the coalition is currently winning in Iraq. But, he added, he also agrees with Marine Gen. Peter Pace's assessment, offered Nov. 29 during a Pentagon news conference, that the coalition is not losing, either.
The period ahead is critical in tipping that scale, Gates said.
"Developments in Iraq over the next year or two will, I believe, shape the entire Middle East and greatly influence global geopolitics for many years to come," he said. "Our course over the next year or two will determine whether the American and Iraqi people and the next president of the United States will face a slowly but steadily improving situation in Iraq and in the region or will face the very real risk of a possible reality of a regional conflagration."
Achieving victory will require cooperation and close coordination by the many players involved. "We need to work together to develop a strategy that does not leave Iraq in chaos, and that protects our long-term interests in and hopes for the region," he said.
Gates said he's open to alternative strategies and tactics for operations in Iraq, including those expected soon from the Iraq Study Group, which he was involved with until President Bush nominated him as defense secretary Nov. 8.
He told the committee he also will consult with military leaders and combatant commanders in the field and "will give most serious consideration to the views of those who lead our men and women in uniform."
Gates said he also will consult with leaders in the executive branch and Congress and share that input with the president and National Security Council. "Of course, it is the president who will decide what, if any, changes are made in our approach," he said.
He told committee members the "most humbling" part of his job, if confirmed as defense secretary, will be making decisions that will have life-and-death consequences. "Our country is at war, and if confirmed, I will be charged with leading the men and women who are fighting it," he said.
Gates offered high praise to the U.S. armed forces and said they proudly carry on the tradition of their predecessors, who have fought the country's wars for the past 230 years.
"The patriots who have volunteered to serve in our armed services today have no equal in the world," he said. "I offer this committee my solemn commitment to keep the welfare of our forces uppermost in my mind."
Gates, a former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, told committee members he did not seek a return to government or the job of defense secretary. "I am here because I love my country and because the president of the United States believes I can help in a difficult time," he said. "I hope you will reach a similar conclusion."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online and, police officer and military personnel who have become authors.
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