By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 10, 2007 – A new law that took effect Jan. 1 changes the way the remains of servicemembers killed in combat are transported and handled. The 2007 National Defense Authorization Act states that the primary mode of transportation for remains of servicemembers being returned to the U.S. is military aircraft or military-contracted aircraft. This is a change from the past, when commercial service was used to transport the remains of fallen troops.
"It was a provision in the law, and I think ... there was some interest to make sure that the remains were moved in an expeditious manner," Air Force Col. Michael Pachuta, director of morale, welfare and recreation policy for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, said in an interview.
Every servicemember who dies in a theater of combat is transported by military aircraft to Dover Air Force Base, Del., for processing and burial preparation, Pachuta explained. This law changes the way the remains are transported from Dover to their place of burial.
In a memorandum to senior military leaders, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England wrote that this change is to ensure the transportation of fallen servicemembers is given priority. England instructed the military services and departments to work together to ensure air transportation arrangements are handled properly and efficiently.
The law also directs that an honor guard escorts servicemembers' remains from Dover to their final resting place. The servicemember's next of kin can request that commercial air transportation be used for the remains, or that the honor guard not escort the remains, Pachuta said.
Another recent change that is giving more recognition to the remains of fallen servicemembers is the use of honor covers on coffins, Pachuta said. The honor cover is a reinforced cardboard cover that fits on top of the airline industry's standard air tray for coffins. The cover is embossed with an American flag, and the Defense Department seal on both ends.
The idea for the honor covers, which the Army has been using since October, came from feedback from family members and military members who had escorted remains, Pachuta said. "Our intent certainly is to make sure that those handling the remains along the way understand that this is a fallen servicemember and certainly should be handled expeditiously but also with care and respect," he said.
The Army designed the honor covers in cooperation with the Air Transport Association, so they are standardized throughout the airline industry, Pachuta said. The covers are not used more than once and are treated to make them waterproof. When the remains reach their final destination, the honor cover is removed and an American flag is placed over the coffin, he said.
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have become writers; and professionals involved in criminal justice leadership.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
NORTHCOM Agency Helps Civil Authorities Prepare For WMD Events
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 10, 2007 – A joint U.S. military organization headquartered in Virginia regularly coordinates with state and local emergency preparedness agencies to prepare for potential new terrorist attacks on the homeland and other catastrophic events, the organization's commander said here yesterday. Joint Task Force Civil Support helps coordinate federal efforts to help civil authorities prepare for and manage the effects of possible terrorist attacks on the homeland involving chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or other high-explosive weapons, Army Maj. Gen. Bruce E. Davis, the task force's third commander, said at the second-annual Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear conference in Vienna, Va.
Davis said his organization, created in October 1999, also assists federal, state and local authorities in reviewing emergency plans and gauging various resources necessary to respond to possible major events like terror attacks, disease outbreaks and other contingencies.
Federal, state and municipal authorities nationwide have lists of potential major contingencies and have established plans, identified personnel and earmarked other resources that would be committed to each type of event, Davis said.
"This is a dynamic list, and each and every year they are updating (the list)," he said.
In the event of a catastrophic event, special teams of on-call military and civilian technicians would be sent to respond to and assess what is needed to respond to the emergency, save lives and mitigate the aftermath, Davis said. For example, decontamination missions would likely be ordered in the event of certain kinds of WMD attacks, he said.
"Anything we can do to accelerate that response time, we try to do," Davis said.
The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America underlined the importance of the joint task force's mission, Davis said. The Fort Monroe, Va.-headquartered organization was made a subordinate of U.S. Northern Command after NORTHCOM was stood up Oct. 1, 2002.
Headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., U.S. NORTHCOM plans, organizes and executes homeland defense and civil support missions. When directed by the president or the defense secretary, NORTHCOM supplies military assistance to local authorities, including consequence management operations.
If there is another attack on America, a NORTHCOM-supplied team of experts would evaluate the situation, based on city and state emergency plans and capabilities, Davis said. That assessment can identify shortfalls between what's needed and what's available via local authorities and may become the basis of requests for DoD assistance, he said.
In addition, at least 42 weapons of mass destruction civil support teams have been stood up across the country. Each team consists of 22 highly skilled National Guard members trained to rapidly respond to assist civil authorities during domestic WMD incidents. Congress has authorized a total of 55 such teams, enough to field one team in every state, territory and the District of Columbia.
Although it is widely believed that large U.S. military formations would be deployed to a disaster site within hours of an event, that's not necessarily so, Davis said. Civil authorities would be first to respond to a major emergency, he pointed out, noting that major DoD involvement likely wouldn't start arriving for a couple of days.
Also, in the past year JTF Civil Support has teamed with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other federal agencies in coordinating plans to respond to a potential flu outbreak, Davis said. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, and other federal, as well as state and local agencies, also are involved in this effort, he said.
The National Guard and local law enforcement agencies are considered to be ideal responders to assist in potential quarantine and other missions in the event of a major disease emergency in the United States, Davis said. "That is a perfect mission for the National Guard and (civilian) law enforcement," he said.
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have become writers; and professionals involved in criminal justice leadership.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 10, 2007 – A joint U.S. military organization headquartered in Virginia regularly coordinates with state and local emergency preparedness agencies to prepare for potential new terrorist attacks on the homeland and other catastrophic events, the organization's commander said here yesterday. Joint Task Force Civil Support helps coordinate federal efforts to help civil authorities prepare for and manage the effects of possible terrorist attacks on the homeland involving chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or other high-explosive weapons, Army Maj. Gen. Bruce E. Davis, the task force's third commander, said at the second-annual Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear conference in Vienna, Va.
Davis said his organization, created in October 1999, also assists federal, state and local authorities in reviewing emergency plans and gauging various resources necessary to respond to possible major events like terror attacks, disease outbreaks and other contingencies.
Federal, state and municipal authorities nationwide have lists of potential major contingencies and have established plans, identified personnel and earmarked other resources that would be committed to each type of event, Davis said.
"This is a dynamic list, and each and every year they are updating (the list)," he said.
In the event of a catastrophic event, special teams of on-call military and civilian technicians would be sent to respond to and assess what is needed to respond to the emergency, save lives and mitigate the aftermath, Davis said. For example, decontamination missions would likely be ordered in the event of certain kinds of WMD attacks, he said.
"Anything we can do to accelerate that response time, we try to do," Davis said.
The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America underlined the importance of the joint task force's mission, Davis said. The Fort Monroe, Va.-headquartered organization was made a subordinate of U.S. Northern Command after NORTHCOM was stood up Oct. 1, 2002.
Headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., U.S. NORTHCOM plans, organizes and executes homeland defense and civil support missions. When directed by the president or the defense secretary, NORTHCOM supplies military assistance to local authorities, including consequence management operations.
If there is another attack on America, a NORTHCOM-supplied team of experts would evaluate the situation, based on city and state emergency plans and capabilities, Davis said. That assessment can identify shortfalls between what's needed and what's available via local authorities and may become the basis of requests for DoD assistance, he said.
In addition, at least 42 weapons of mass destruction civil support teams have been stood up across the country. Each team consists of 22 highly skilled National Guard members trained to rapidly respond to assist civil authorities during domestic WMD incidents. Congress has authorized a total of 55 such teams, enough to field one team in every state, territory and the District of Columbia.
Although it is widely believed that large U.S. military formations would be deployed to a disaster site within hours of an event, that's not necessarily so, Davis said. Civil authorities would be first to respond to a major emergency, he pointed out, noting that major DoD involvement likely wouldn't start arriving for a couple of days.
Also, in the past year JTF Civil Support has teamed with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other federal agencies in coordinating plans to respond to a potential flu outbreak, Davis said. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, and other federal, as well as state and local agencies, also are involved in this effort, he said.
The National Guard and local law enforcement agencies are considered to be ideal responders to assist in potential quarantine and other missions in the event of a major disease emergency in the United States, Davis said. "That is a perfect mission for the National Guard and (civilian) law enforcement," he said.
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have become writers; and professionals involved in criminal justice leadership.
Servicemembers' 'Angels' Recognized
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 10, 2007 – Georgia-Pacific, the maker of Angel Soft toilet paper, has recognized two teens as "Angels in Action" for their support of the nation's servicemembers. Timothy Calvert, 15, co-founder of Operation Iraqi Friendship, and Robbie Bergquist, 14, co-founder of Cell Phones for Soldiers, are among 13 teens recognized for "exemplary acts of community service" in the Angel Soft Angels in Action award program. The winners and finalists were chosen from a pool of nearly 20,000 nominees ages 8-18.
Cell Phones for Soldiers is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program highlighting the ways Americans are supporting the nation's servicemembers.
"We created the Angel Soft Angels in Action Awards Program because we are dedicated to educating and inspiring families to help children develop a lifelong commitment to community service," Nikkia Starks, Angel Soft's marketing communications manager, said of the program now in its seventh year. "Both young men created innovative programs that put others ahead of themselves."
Each of the young men, nominated by beneficiaries of their programs, receives a cash award and a year's supply of Angel Soft toilet paper. Both agreed the money will help their organizations fulfill their stated missions.
As a grand-prize winner, Calvert, who said he was shocked at his selection for the award, will join the second grand-prize winner and the Program of the Year winner on a trip to Walt Disney World. He also will receive $10,000, which he said will help cover postage to send tote bags of school supplies to Iraq.
"Most of what we need for the school-supply totes is donated, but the shipping is not," Calvert said. "The shipping is pretty expensive, about $7 per tote bag, so it will help get a lot more bags sent over for the Iraqi kids."
The bags, which servicemembers distribute to Iraqi schoolchildren, contain school supplies including composition books, drawing tablets, construction paper, scissors, glue, pens, pencils, markers and crayons. A memo book with the word "Friend" on the front cover always is included, as is a toy.
"Some of the village classrooms had 50 students sharing just a few pencils and composition books," Calvert said. "No one in our country could even really imagine a life where you couldn't even have your own pencil.
"One of the really cool things our program has done (is to teach) American kids to have a little more respect and appreciation for what they have," he added.
But as important as making sure Iraqi children have what they need to learn, Calvert, through Operation Iraqi Friendship, is helping U.S. servicemembers make positive connections with the Iraqi people.
"When the Iraqi people see our soldiers come with things to help better their life, it helps to build a better relationship," he said.
Calvert said his family is often teased about the "warehouse decor" of their home. But when you take into account that his sister Bailey Reese, 10, also runs her own troop-support organization, Hero Hugs, from home, there's no escaping the boxes of goodies waiting to be sent overseas.
Bailey was an Angels in Action grand-prize winner in the previous year's program and has several other honors to her credit.
The story is much the same for Bergquist, an Angels in Action finalist, who with his sister, Brittany, began sending prepaid calling cards to servicemembers overseas in 2004. To date, they have sent 1.5 million minutes of talk time to troops serving throughout the world. They are humble about the accolades they have received, including the organization's current nomination for a Volvo for Life award, which carries a grand prize of $50,000.
"I was surprised (to learn I was selected) because I know there are lots of kids doing amazing things to help others," Bergquist said. "To be recognized for helping the troops makes me feel very proud. The troops are the real 'Angels in Action.'"
He said his $1,000 prize money will provide another 30,000 minutes of talk time to help keeps troops in touch with their loved ones. But the recognition the award will bring his organization may be just as valuable.
"It lets the public know about Cell Phones for Soldiers and gives them information about how they can help the troops, ... so we can continue to send prepaid phone cards and help military families with their phone bills," he said.
Through their actions, both young men and all of the winners made a statement the Angel Soft company thought very important.
"A primary message these kids convey, ... in my opinion, is that kids are out there making a difference and impacting the community, both here and overseas, in a variety of ways, which is truly commendable," Starks said. "Year after year, we are always amazed to hear about outstanding children whose thoughtfulness and giving spirit touches so many lives."
More information on the Angels in Action Award Program and all of this year's winners and finalists is available on the Angels in Action Web site.
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have become writers; and professionals involved in criminal justice leadership.
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 10, 2007 – Georgia-Pacific, the maker of Angel Soft toilet paper, has recognized two teens as "Angels in Action" for their support of the nation's servicemembers. Timothy Calvert, 15, co-founder of Operation Iraqi Friendship, and Robbie Bergquist, 14, co-founder of Cell Phones for Soldiers, are among 13 teens recognized for "exemplary acts of community service" in the Angel Soft Angels in Action award program. The winners and finalists were chosen from a pool of nearly 20,000 nominees ages 8-18.
Cell Phones for Soldiers is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program highlighting the ways Americans are supporting the nation's servicemembers.
"We created the Angel Soft Angels in Action Awards Program because we are dedicated to educating and inspiring families to help children develop a lifelong commitment to community service," Nikkia Starks, Angel Soft's marketing communications manager, said of the program now in its seventh year. "Both young men created innovative programs that put others ahead of themselves."
Each of the young men, nominated by beneficiaries of their programs, receives a cash award and a year's supply of Angel Soft toilet paper. Both agreed the money will help their organizations fulfill their stated missions.
As a grand-prize winner, Calvert, who said he was shocked at his selection for the award, will join the second grand-prize winner and the Program of the Year winner on a trip to Walt Disney World. He also will receive $10,000, which he said will help cover postage to send tote bags of school supplies to Iraq.
"Most of what we need for the school-supply totes is donated, but the shipping is not," Calvert said. "The shipping is pretty expensive, about $7 per tote bag, so it will help get a lot more bags sent over for the Iraqi kids."
The bags, which servicemembers distribute to Iraqi schoolchildren, contain school supplies including composition books, drawing tablets, construction paper, scissors, glue, pens, pencils, markers and crayons. A memo book with the word "Friend" on the front cover always is included, as is a toy.
"Some of the village classrooms had 50 students sharing just a few pencils and composition books," Calvert said. "No one in our country could even really imagine a life where you couldn't even have your own pencil.
"One of the really cool things our program has done (is to teach) American kids to have a little more respect and appreciation for what they have," he added.
But as important as making sure Iraqi children have what they need to learn, Calvert, through Operation Iraqi Friendship, is helping U.S. servicemembers make positive connections with the Iraqi people.
"When the Iraqi people see our soldiers come with things to help better their life, it helps to build a better relationship," he said.
Calvert said his family is often teased about the "warehouse decor" of their home. But when you take into account that his sister Bailey Reese, 10, also runs her own troop-support organization, Hero Hugs, from home, there's no escaping the boxes of goodies waiting to be sent overseas.
Bailey was an Angels in Action grand-prize winner in the previous year's program and has several other honors to her credit.
The story is much the same for Bergquist, an Angels in Action finalist, who with his sister, Brittany, began sending prepaid calling cards to servicemembers overseas in 2004. To date, they have sent 1.5 million minutes of talk time to troops serving throughout the world. They are humble about the accolades they have received, including the organization's current nomination for a Volvo for Life award, which carries a grand prize of $50,000.
"I was surprised (to learn I was selected) because I know there are lots of kids doing amazing things to help others," Bergquist said. "To be recognized for helping the troops makes me feel very proud. The troops are the real 'Angels in Action.'"
He said his $1,000 prize money will provide another 30,000 minutes of talk time to help keeps troops in touch with their loved ones. But the recognition the award will bring his organization may be just as valuable.
"It lets the public know about Cell Phones for Soldiers and gives them information about how they can help the troops, ... so we can continue to send prepaid phone cards and help military families with their phone bills," he said.
Through their actions, both young men and all of the winners made a statement the Angel Soft company thought very important.
"A primary message these kids convey, ... in my opinion, is that kids are out there making a difference and impacting the community, both here and overseas, in a variety of ways, which is truly commendable," Starks said. "Year after year, we are always amazed to hear about outstanding children whose thoughtfulness and giving spirit touches so many lives."
More information on the Angels in Action Award Program and all of this year's winners and finalists is available on the Angels in Action Web site.
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have become writers; and professionals involved in criminal justice leadership.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Minnesotan Trades Crown for Cammies
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 9, 2007 – A 22-year-old college student recently traded her beauty-queen tiara for the Kevlar helmet she'll wear when she deploys with her Minnesota Army National Guard unit to Iraq. For the past six months, Jessica Gaulke's life has been about college classes and making appearances as Minneapolis' 2007 Aquatennial Queen of the Lakes, but soon it will focus on helping lead Iraq to a peaceful democracy.
The Augsburg College senior studying sociology will be deploying as Spc. Jessica Gaulke with the 2nd Battalion, 147th Assault Helicopter Battalion. The unit is scheduled to start training at Fort Hood, Texas, this spring in advance of a yearlong tour in Iraq.
"I'm feeling strong to go. The training I've received is good training, and I'm prepared," Gaulke said. But her military obligation, which she accepted in February 2002 when she joined the National Guard, has ended her rein as Queen of the Lakes.
Although it was never her lifelong ambition to win a beauty pageant, she said the abbreviated experience has been wonderful. So, although she admits it was bittersweet to hand over her crown Jan. 4, she said she feels no resentment.
"I've heard this whole time that, 'You could go. You never know when you're going to go, but you could go at any time and they don't even have to give you notice,'" Gaulke said. "I'm thankful for the six months that I've had (as Queen of the Lakes). Of course, I would have liked to finish the year out, but what I've experienced has been amazing."
During the six months as Aquatennial Queen of the Lakes, she juggled her National Guard drill duties and schoolwork with her public appearances, she said.
"I do it pretty well, actually. I've had to do a couple of changes in my car going from drill to parades," Gaulke said. "I think maybe this is changing the whole outlook on the pageant system and scholarship programs because it's not all about the glitz and glam.
"It's really about the person you are," she said. "Sometimes I don't look the best, but people understand."
Although she's been dubbed the "Brave Beauty," Gaulke said she won her crown based on who she is. "There's no swimsuit, there's no gown or fishbowl questions, things like that we normally see in Miss America," she said. "It's based on your school, your volunteer experience, what you're active in currently."
Gaulke carries a 3.3 grade point average and volunteers as a coach for her high school lacrosse team in the spring. She also works with the Minneapolis-based Open Arms, an organization that makes and delivers meals for residents with HIV/AIDS.
For the down-to-earth beauty queen, trading her crown for cammies is no big deal. "Switching one for the other ... I signed up for it and I knew it was a possibility," Gaulke said.
There's another major life event on the near horizon that makes giving up her crown to head to Iraq seem easy in comparison. "I'm getting married next week," she said, adding that her newlywed husband, whom she'll be leaving behind soon, will take care of their two dogs and the new home the couple just purchased.
"I'm excited and I think life is bringing me in the right direction," she said. "Things happen for a reason."
Article sponsored by criminal justice leaders; and military and police personnel who have written books.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 9, 2007 – A 22-year-old college student recently traded her beauty-queen tiara for the Kevlar helmet she'll wear when she deploys with her Minnesota Army National Guard unit to Iraq. For the past six months, Jessica Gaulke's life has been about college classes and making appearances as Minneapolis' 2007 Aquatennial Queen of the Lakes, but soon it will focus on helping lead Iraq to a peaceful democracy.
The Augsburg College senior studying sociology will be deploying as Spc. Jessica Gaulke with the 2nd Battalion, 147th Assault Helicopter Battalion. The unit is scheduled to start training at Fort Hood, Texas, this spring in advance of a yearlong tour in Iraq.
"I'm feeling strong to go. The training I've received is good training, and I'm prepared," Gaulke said. But her military obligation, which she accepted in February 2002 when she joined the National Guard, has ended her rein as Queen of the Lakes.
Although it was never her lifelong ambition to win a beauty pageant, she said the abbreviated experience has been wonderful. So, although she admits it was bittersweet to hand over her crown Jan. 4, she said she feels no resentment.
"I've heard this whole time that, 'You could go. You never know when you're going to go, but you could go at any time and they don't even have to give you notice,'" Gaulke said. "I'm thankful for the six months that I've had (as Queen of the Lakes). Of course, I would have liked to finish the year out, but what I've experienced has been amazing."
During the six months as Aquatennial Queen of the Lakes, she juggled her National Guard drill duties and schoolwork with her public appearances, she said.
"I do it pretty well, actually. I've had to do a couple of changes in my car going from drill to parades," Gaulke said. "I think maybe this is changing the whole outlook on the pageant system and scholarship programs because it's not all about the glitz and glam.
"It's really about the person you are," she said. "Sometimes I don't look the best, but people understand."
Although she's been dubbed the "Brave Beauty," Gaulke said she won her crown based on who she is. "There's no swimsuit, there's no gown or fishbowl questions, things like that we normally see in Miss America," she said. "It's based on your school, your volunteer experience, what you're active in currently."
Gaulke carries a 3.3 grade point average and volunteers as a coach for her high school lacrosse team in the spring. She also works with the Minneapolis-based Open Arms, an organization that makes and delivers meals for residents with HIV/AIDS.
For the down-to-earth beauty queen, trading her crown for cammies is no big deal. "Switching one for the other ... I signed up for it and I knew it was a possibility," Gaulke said.
There's another major life event on the near horizon that makes giving up her crown to head to Iraq seem easy in comparison. "I'm getting married next week," she said, adding that her newlywed husband, whom she'll be leaving behind soon, will take care of their two dogs and the new home the couple just purchased.
"I'm excited and I think life is bringing me in the right direction," she said. "Things happen for a reason."
Article sponsored by criminal justice leaders; and military and police personnel who have written books.
NBA Star O'Neal Joins Effort Thanking Military Kids
By Courtney Reddington
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 9, 2007 – NBA star Shaquille O'Neal will soon play a part in thanking children of deployed servicemembers for their sacrifices. O'Neal, a military "brat" himself, will represent USA Basketball as he joins Kids Serve Too, a program of Salute Our Services, in sending thank-you letters to military children.
USA Basketball, which includes the NBA, and Salute Our Services are both members of the Defense Department's America Supports You program. The program showcases the ways Americans support the nation's servicemembers.
Kat Lanigan, 16, and her sister, Clare, 14, co-chairs of the Kids Serve Too national kids' advisory board, announced last week that O'Neal will join them in their program's "A Thousand Thanks to Military Children" project.
The Lanigan girls are the daughters of Army Reserve Maj. Kevin Lanigan, who has served in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq, so they know the stress children go through during deployments.
"Our goal is to help make sure that kids who have a parent or loved one deployed know that they are appreciated and to say thank you to them for their sacrifices," said Clare, a ninth-grader at Westfield High School in Herndon, Va. "We are so excited to have Shaq's help."
"My dad has missed my last three birthdays because of deployments," Kat, a 10th-grader, added. "To know that Shaq and the NBA cares about kids like us is amazing."
O'Neal knows from first-hand experience what it's like to be the child of someone serving in the military. Kids Serve Too will send a thank-you letter with Shaq's photo and signature to military children at the request of a deployed servicemember or a loved one on the home front.
Other sports figures, including drag racer Tony Schumacher, driver of the U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster, also are participating in the program.
As co-chairs of the national kid's advisory board for Kids Serve Too, a nonprofit group created by military families for military families, the Lanigan girls help increase awareness about deployment issues.
Kids Serve Too has awarded financial grants to children of deployed servicemembers across the nation so they can continue their extracurricular activities during the deployment. It also hosts free events for military children and provides educational materials to non-military schools about the stresses of deployments on children.
"I know what my dad does is important, but what we do is important, too," Clare said. "My dad needs to know that I am safe and sound when he is away so he can concentrate on doing his job."
Article sponsored by criminal justice leaders; and military and police personnel who have written books.
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 9, 2007 – NBA star Shaquille O'Neal will soon play a part in thanking children of deployed servicemembers for their sacrifices. O'Neal, a military "brat" himself, will represent USA Basketball as he joins Kids Serve Too, a program of Salute Our Services, in sending thank-you letters to military children.
USA Basketball, which includes the NBA, and Salute Our Services are both members of the Defense Department's America Supports You program. The program showcases the ways Americans support the nation's servicemembers.
Kat Lanigan, 16, and her sister, Clare, 14, co-chairs of the Kids Serve Too national kids' advisory board, announced last week that O'Neal will join them in their program's "A Thousand Thanks to Military Children" project.
The Lanigan girls are the daughters of Army Reserve Maj. Kevin Lanigan, who has served in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq, so they know the stress children go through during deployments.
"Our goal is to help make sure that kids who have a parent or loved one deployed know that they are appreciated and to say thank you to them for their sacrifices," said Clare, a ninth-grader at Westfield High School in Herndon, Va. "We are so excited to have Shaq's help."
"My dad has missed my last three birthdays because of deployments," Kat, a 10th-grader, added. "To know that Shaq and the NBA cares about kids like us is amazing."
O'Neal knows from first-hand experience what it's like to be the child of someone serving in the military. Kids Serve Too will send a thank-you letter with Shaq's photo and signature to military children at the request of a deployed servicemember or a loved one on the home front.
Other sports figures, including drag racer Tony Schumacher, driver of the U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster, also are participating in the program.
As co-chairs of the national kid's advisory board for Kids Serve Too, a nonprofit group created by military families for military families, the Lanigan girls help increase awareness about deployment issues.
Kids Serve Too has awarded financial grants to children of deployed servicemembers across the nation so they can continue their extracurricular activities during the deployment. It also hosts free events for military children and provides educational materials to non-military schools about the stresses of deployments on children.
"I know what my dad does is important, but what we do is important, too," Clare said. "My dad needs to know that I am safe and sound when he is away so he can concentrate on doing his job."
Article sponsored by criminal justice leaders; and military and police personnel who have written books.
Monday, January 08, 2007
'Why I Serve' Speakers Anxious to Share Good News About Iraq, Afghanistan
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 8, 2007 – Many of the troops fanning out across the country beginning this week to share their deployment experiences with civilian groups say they hope to share some of the "good news" stories that often don't make it into the evening news. The eight troops are participating in the Defense Department's "Why I Serve" program, which gives men and women in uniform the opportunity to speak to groups ranging from the Boy Scouts to local Rotary Clubs to schools and retirement community organizations.
The concept originated with former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who wanted a way to help reconnect troops to the American people, Marine Maj. Matt Morgan, the program's director, explained.
"So we took a number of ideas, and one of them was taking troops just returned from overseas and sending them out to the American people so they could talk to community organizations and groups and interface directly without the interference of filters," Morgan said.
Army Staff Sgt. Jerome MacDonald, a combat medic who returned from Iraq in February 2006, said he and his fellow Why I Serve participants have "an incredible amount of different stories" to share about their time on the ground in the Middle East.
He said he's excited about the opportunity to spend the next 90 days sharing those personal stories with people who may never have heard firsthand what it's like to serve in Iraq or Afghanistan.
"I think it's important to tell people what's going on," he said. "They can turn on CNN, but there's someone on CNN telling them what they saw over there. This will be the soldier telling you, 'This is what I saw; this is what I did.'"
Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Lyndon Romeo said he hopes his firsthand accounts will give the American public new insights. "I can describe to them and get them to see what I saw," he said. "They will see a personal side they wouldn't otherwise see from a person who has been in the field and can relate to them on a one-on-one basis."
For Air Force Staff Sgt. Jeramiah Poff, the Why I Serve program represents an opportunity to share personal stories about his interaction with the Iraqi people and day-to-day life while deployed. "I'm going to share with them my experiences, everything from the culture to the daily routine to living conditions, what it's like, even how I feel to be in uniform, and how proud I am of what I do," he said.
Air Force Master Sgt. Ruben Vazquez, a medical technician who will begin his Why I Serve tour this week speaking to a Colorado Boy Scout group, said he looks forward to sharing some of the good things happening in Iraq that never get covered in the news.
"You hear about body counts and explosions and about the negative things happening over there, but you don't hear a lot about the positive things," he said. "And I did see a lot of positive things when I was over there: a lot of construction, a lot of training, a lot of education, a lot of gifts coming from the states.
"It's not something you see a lot in the media, the positive impact we are making," he said.
Marine Cpl. Michael Good Jr. said he will tell the groups he addresses how much most Iraqis appreciate what U.S. troops are doing in their country. "I was there sweeping roads for bombs, and they were very appreciative of what we do, because a 3-year-old could be walking down the road, then all of a sudden, 'Boom!'" he said. "The insurgents don't care who it is, a U.S. troop or an Iraqi civilian. They don't care who they are going to kill.
"I was surprised at how appreciative some of the Iraqi people are that we are there," he said.
Marine Corps 1st Lt. Richard Posselt, another program participant, said he is happy to get the chance to share his experiences training both Afghan and Iraqi security forces. "I want to get the message out that we are succeeding over there and making positive strides," he said. "I'm excited about trying to talk to as many people as possible in the next three months and get the word out there."
Posselt said he plans to tell people that he and his fellow troops believe in their mission. "We are there for the greater good of both Iraq and Afghanistan," he said. "We are out here trying to make a difference, and we believe in what we are doing."
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have authored books; and, criminal justice leadership.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 8, 2007 – Many of the troops fanning out across the country beginning this week to share their deployment experiences with civilian groups say they hope to share some of the "good news" stories that often don't make it into the evening news. The eight troops are participating in the Defense Department's "Why I Serve" program, which gives men and women in uniform the opportunity to speak to groups ranging from the Boy Scouts to local Rotary Clubs to schools and retirement community organizations.
The concept originated with former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who wanted a way to help reconnect troops to the American people, Marine Maj. Matt Morgan, the program's director, explained.
"So we took a number of ideas, and one of them was taking troops just returned from overseas and sending them out to the American people so they could talk to community organizations and groups and interface directly without the interference of filters," Morgan said.
Army Staff Sgt. Jerome MacDonald, a combat medic who returned from Iraq in February 2006, said he and his fellow Why I Serve participants have "an incredible amount of different stories" to share about their time on the ground in the Middle East.
He said he's excited about the opportunity to spend the next 90 days sharing those personal stories with people who may never have heard firsthand what it's like to serve in Iraq or Afghanistan.
"I think it's important to tell people what's going on," he said. "They can turn on CNN, but there's someone on CNN telling them what they saw over there. This will be the soldier telling you, 'This is what I saw; this is what I did.'"
Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Lyndon Romeo said he hopes his firsthand accounts will give the American public new insights. "I can describe to them and get them to see what I saw," he said. "They will see a personal side they wouldn't otherwise see from a person who has been in the field and can relate to them on a one-on-one basis."
For Air Force Staff Sgt. Jeramiah Poff, the Why I Serve program represents an opportunity to share personal stories about his interaction with the Iraqi people and day-to-day life while deployed. "I'm going to share with them my experiences, everything from the culture to the daily routine to living conditions, what it's like, even how I feel to be in uniform, and how proud I am of what I do," he said.
Air Force Master Sgt. Ruben Vazquez, a medical technician who will begin his Why I Serve tour this week speaking to a Colorado Boy Scout group, said he looks forward to sharing some of the good things happening in Iraq that never get covered in the news.
"You hear about body counts and explosions and about the negative things happening over there, but you don't hear a lot about the positive things," he said. "And I did see a lot of positive things when I was over there: a lot of construction, a lot of training, a lot of education, a lot of gifts coming from the states.
"It's not something you see a lot in the media, the positive impact we are making," he said.
Marine Cpl. Michael Good Jr. said he will tell the groups he addresses how much most Iraqis appreciate what U.S. troops are doing in their country. "I was there sweeping roads for bombs, and they were very appreciative of what we do, because a 3-year-old could be walking down the road, then all of a sudden, 'Boom!'" he said. "The insurgents don't care who it is, a U.S. troop or an Iraqi civilian. They don't care who they are going to kill.
"I was surprised at how appreciative some of the Iraqi people are that we are there," he said.
Marine Corps 1st Lt. Richard Posselt, another program participant, said he is happy to get the chance to share his experiences training both Afghan and Iraqi security forces. "I want to get the message out that we are succeeding over there and making positive strides," he said. "I'm excited about trying to talk to as many people as possible in the next three months and get the word out there."
Posselt said he plans to tell people that he and his fellow troops believe in their mission. "We are there for the greater good of both Iraq and Afghanistan," he said. "We are out here trying to make a difference, and we believe in what we are doing."
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have authored books; and, criminal justice leadership.
'Why I Serve' Participants to Share Motivation for Military Service
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 8, 2007 – Ask Army Staff Sgt. Jerome MacDonald why he serves in the military, and he doesn't talk about pay raises, tuition assistance or job security. My biggest reason for serving is my family," said MacDonald, a combat medic who returned in 2006 from a deployment to Iraq.
"I looked at my family, and I realized that I want them and their way of life to be protected," he said. "And one of the only ways to do that is to go overseas and take the fight to the enemy who are perfectly willing to come here and kill themselves just to kill an American. ... It requires some sacrifice, but I am willing to do that."
MacDonald is among eight participants in the Defense Department's "Why I Serve" program who will spend the next three months telling civilian groups around the country why they serve in the armed forces. The group members, all recently returned from Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world in support of the war on terror, will also share their personal experiences and the importance of the public support they have received.
In addition to sharing his on-the-ground experiences, MacDonald said he plans to talk about the deep sense of connection he and many of his fellow servicemembers feel toward their comrades. MacDonald left the military in 2003 after six years of service, then returned less than a year later because he realized how much he missed what he had left behind.
"I found out when I got out of the military that I didn't have that brotherhood anymore, that camaraderie," he said. "I missed that, and I serve now also for the men and the women next to me in the foxhole and, ultimately, because I believe in the war on terror and that we are doing the right thing."
Petty Officer 1st Class Lyndon Romeo, a Navy Seabee, said he plans to tell the audiences he speaks with about how his latest deployments to Kuwait and Bahrain reaffirmed his belief in the value of military service. "I serve because I believe that the constitution needs defending and supporting, and I believe that probably the best way to do that is to service in the United States military," he said. "That's what I plan to tell them."
Air Force Staff Sgt. Jeramiah Poff said he looks forward to sharing with civilian groups ranging from Boy Scouts to Rotary Clubs "how I feel to be in uniform and how proud I am of what I do."
Poff said he hopes to convey through the Why I Serve program that he sees his service as a way of honoring veterans of past wars, reinforcing those who serve alongside him today, and laying a foundation for the next generation of military members.
"I serve for all those who have served before me (and) all those who have fought and sacrificed in all the conflicts of the past," he said.
"I serve so (the soldier, sailor, airmen or Marine beside me) knows he has someone watching his back and able to catch him if he falls, pick him up if he gets hurt, motivate him if it's his bad day," he said. "And I am also there for all my troops for the future of the military services."
As the group members fan out across the country this week to spend the next 90 days speaking to groups ranging from the Boy Scouts to local Rotary Clubs to schools and retirement community organizations, they also will emphasize the importance of public support for the troops.
"We have all seen the support that regular Americans give," MacDonald said. "The most important thing is that they are distinguishing between the soldier and the politics and the war and the soldier. ... As long as that continues, they can always support the soldier."
Marine Maj. Matt Morgan, director of the Why I Serve program, said he wishes every servicemember could get an opportunity to participate in the program to see firsthand how much they're appreciated. "Most servicemembers have a sense that Americans appreciate what they do. But until you go out in the communities where you are not usually seeing servicemembers, traveling through regional and local airports, and meeting with members of communities who don't see this military presence, you don't understand how much they appreciate what you do," he said.
Morgan recalled an incident in which three participants in the program walking through a small regional airport got a standing ovation from the people awaiting their flights. "It was a very emotional moment for all of them because they just didn't get a sense of that in the regular media coverage, just how much Americans really appreciate what they do," he said.
The concept for the Why I Serve program originated with former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who wanted a way to help reconnect troops to the American people, Morgan explained.
"So we took a number of ideas, and one of them was taking troops just returned from overseas and sending them out to the American people so they could talk to community organizations and groups and interface directly without the interference of filters," Morgan said.
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have authored books; and, criminal justice leadership.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 8, 2007 – Ask Army Staff Sgt. Jerome MacDonald why he serves in the military, and he doesn't talk about pay raises, tuition assistance or job security. My biggest reason for serving is my family," said MacDonald, a combat medic who returned in 2006 from a deployment to Iraq.
"I looked at my family, and I realized that I want them and their way of life to be protected," he said. "And one of the only ways to do that is to go overseas and take the fight to the enemy who are perfectly willing to come here and kill themselves just to kill an American. ... It requires some sacrifice, but I am willing to do that."
MacDonald is among eight participants in the Defense Department's "Why I Serve" program who will spend the next three months telling civilian groups around the country why they serve in the armed forces. The group members, all recently returned from Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world in support of the war on terror, will also share their personal experiences and the importance of the public support they have received.
In addition to sharing his on-the-ground experiences, MacDonald said he plans to talk about the deep sense of connection he and many of his fellow servicemembers feel toward their comrades. MacDonald left the military in 2003 after six years of service, then returned less than a year later because he realized how much he missed what he had left behind.
"I found out when I got out of the military that I didn't have that brotherhood anymore, that camaraderie," he said. "I missed that, and I serve now also for the men and the women next to me in the foxhole and, ultimately, because I believe in the war on terror and that we are doing the right thing."
Petty Officer 1st Class Lyndon Romeo, a Navy Seabee, said he plans to tell the audiences he speaks with about how his latest deployments to Kuwait and Bahrain reaffirmed his belief in the value of military service. "I serve because I believe that the constitution needs defending and supporting, and I believe that probably the best way to do that is to service in the United States military," he said. "That's what I plan to tell them."
Air Force Staff Sgt. Jeramiah Poff said he looks forward to sharing with civilian groups ranging from Boy Scouts to Rotary Clubs "how I feel to be in uniform and how proud I am of what I do."
Poff said he hopes to convey through the Why I Serve program that he sees his service as a way of honoring veterans of past wars, reinforcing those who serve alongside him today, and laying a foundation for the next generation of military members.
"I serve for all those who have served before me (and) all those who have fought and sacrificed in all the conflicts of the past," he said.
"I serve so (the soldier, sailor, airmen or Marine beside me) knows he has someone watching his back and able to catch him if he falls, pick him up if he gets hurt, motivate him if it's his bad day," he said. "And I am also there for all my troops for the future of the military services."
As the group members fan out across the country this week to spend the next 90 days speaking to groups ranging from the Boy Scouts to local Rotary Clubs to schools and retirement community organizations, they also will emphasize the importance of public support for the troops.
"We have all seen the support that regular Americans give," MacDonald said. "The most important thing is that they are distinguishing between the soldier and the politics and the war and the soldier. ... As long as that continues, they can always support the soldier."
Marine Maj. Matt Morgan, director of the Why I Serve program, said he wishes every servicemember could get an opportunity to participate in the program to see firsthand how much they're appreciated. "Most servicemembers have a sense that Americans appreciate what they do. But until you go out in the communities where you are not usually seeing servicemembers, traveling through regional and local airports, and meeting with members of communities who don't see this military presence, you don't understand how much they appreciate what you do," he said.
Morgan recalled an incident in which three participants in the program walking through a small regional airport got a standing ovation from the people awaiting their flights. "It was a very emotional moment for all of them because they just didn't get a sense of that in the regular media coverage, just how much Americans really appreciate what they do," he said.
The concept for the Why I Serve program originated with former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who wanted a way to help reconnect troops to the American people, Morgan explained.
"So we took a number of ideas, and one of them was taking troops just returned from overseas and sending them out to the American people so they could talk to community organizations and groups and interface directly without the interference of filters," Morgan said.
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have authored books; and, criminal justice leadership.
ESGR Looking for Few Good Employers
By Samantha L. Quigley
Jan. 8, 2007 – The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve is looking for a few good employers to recognize this year. The committee, in conjunction with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, announced today that it has begun accepting nominations for the 2007 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Awards. The nomination process will conclude Feb. 28.
Founded in 1972, ESGR's mission is to gain and maintain active support from public and private employers for the men and women of the National Guard and reserves. It also is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program showcasing ways Americans are supporting the nation's servicemembers.
"I am encouraging all National Guardsmen and reservists worldwide and their family members to visit the ESGR Web site ... to nominate their employers for the 2007 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award," Bob Hollingsworth, ESGR executive director, said. "This prestigious national award recognizes supportive employers who provide exemplarily support above the (federal law) requirements for their employees who serve in the National Guard and reserve."
More than 1,000 nominations were received for the 2006 awards, Air Force Reserve Maj. Robert Palmer, the national committee's chief of strategic communications, said. Officials hope to receive 5,000 nominations this year, which is still a relatively small number, considering estimates that more than 200,000 American employers employ National Guardsmen and reservists.
The 2007 recipients will be honored in Washington, D.C., at the 12th annual Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award ceremony on Sept. 12.
Defense Secretary William Perry instituted the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award in 1996 under the auspices of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. The award, the highest in a series of Defense Department employer awards, publicly recognizes employers for exceptional support of their reserve-component employees above the federal requirements.
National Guardsmen, reservists or their family members can nominate an employer by completing the 2007 Freedom Award nomination form on the ESGR Web site. ESGR field committees will review the nominations and have the option to present three nominations per committee for review by the National Selection Board, which will select up to 15 recipients.
The nominees forwarded by the 56 field committees to the National Committee will fall into one of three categories; large employer, small employer and public sector -- or government -- employers, Palmer said. "We try to have a balanced representation (among those categories)," he added.
Previous recipients have included Starbucks, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Sears, General Electric, DuPont, Verizon, and United Parcel Service. State and local governments and a number of America's small businesses, who are the majority of National Guard and reserve employers, have also been recipients.
"The whole concept is that (the Freedom Award) rewards employers who go above and beyond, so it's not just complying with the law but the steps (employers) go beyond to really show Guardsmen and reservists that they are behind their service 100 percent," Palmer said. "We've seen examples of sending care packages, maintaining contact with the deployed member's families, maintaining contact with the deployed member, any type of activity that would indicate that that employee is still in the hearts and minds of the employer.
"By nominating their employers for Patriot Awards, Above and Beyond Awards, and the Freedom Award, employees are sending their employer a strong message of appreciation," he said.
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have authored books; and, criminal justice leadership.
Jan. 8, 2007 – The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve is looking for a few good employers to recognize this year. The committee, in conjunction with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, announced today that it has begun accepting nominations for the 2007 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Awards. The nomination process will conclude Feb. 28.
Founded in 1972, ESGR's mission is to gain and maintain active support from public and private employers for the men and women of the National Guard and reserves. It also is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program showcasing ways Americans are supporting the nation's servicemembers.
"I am encouraging all National Guardsmen and reservists worldwide and their family members to visit the ESGR Web site ... to nominate their employers for the 2007 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award," Bob Hollingsworth, ESGR executive director, said. "This prestigious national award recognizes supportive employers who provide exemplarily support above the (federal law) requirements for their employees who serve in the National Guard and reserve."
More than 1,000 nominations were received for the 2006 awards, Air Force Reserve Maj. Robert Palmer, the national committee's chief of strategic communications, said. Officials hope to receive 5,000 nominations this year, which is still a relatively small number, considering estimates that more than 200,000 American employers employ National Guardsmen and reservists.
The 2007 recipients will be honored in Washington, D.C., at the 12th annual Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award ceremony on Sept. 12.
Defense Secretary William Perry instituted the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award in 1996 under the auspices of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. The award, the highest in a series of Defense Department employer awards, publicly recognizes employers for exceptional support of their reserve-component employees above the federal requirements.
National Guardsmen, reservists or their family members can nominate an employer by completing the 2007 Freedom Award nomination form on the ESGR Web site. ESGR field committees will review the nominations and have the option to present three nominations per committee for review by the National Selection Board, which will select up to 15 recipients.
The nominees forwarded by the 56 field committees to the National Committee will fall into one of three categories; large employer, small employer and public sector -- or government -- employers, Palmer said. "We try to have a balanced representation (among those categories)," he added.
Previous recipients have included Starbucks, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Sears, General Electric, DuPont, Verizon, and United Parcel Service. State and local governments and a number of America's small businesses, who are the majority of National Guard and reserve employers, have also been recipients.
"The whole concept is that (the Freedom Award) rewards employers who go above and beyond, so it's not just complying with the law but the steps (employers) go beyond to really show Guardsmen and reservists that they are behind their service 100 percent," Palmer said. "We've seen examples of sending care packages, maintaining contact with the deployed member's families, maintaining contact with the deployed member, any type of activity that would indicate that that employee is still in the hearts and minds of the employer.
"By nominating their employers for Patriot Awards, Above and Beyond Awards, and the Freedom Award, employees are sending their employer a strong message of appreciation," he said.
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have authored books; and, criminal justice leadership.
NYPD leads LAPD, 77 to 47
Editors Note: At least one of the authors is prior military.
January 8, 2007 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com added ten Los Angeles Police Department police officers who have written books. This brings the LAPD total to 47 authors whereas NYPD leads police agencies world-wide with 77 authors.
This round of writers leads off with three “tell-all” police writers. First, a look at LAPD domestic spying in “L.A. Secret Police: Inside the LAPD Elite Spy Network.” The work is co-written by Michael Rothmiller, a former detective inside the LAPD Organized Crime Intelligence Division.
In LAPD’s “Rouge Cops: Cover up and the Cookie Jar,” Vince Carter, a 25-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, separates fact from fiction in a look at one of America’s most celebrated, and publicized, police departments. Vincent A. Carter and his Uncle Herb Carter, between them, patrolled the streets of Los Angeles for nearly fifty years. In these memoirs Sergeant Carter describes the birth and early years of a political/financial/newspaper syndicate which ruled Los Angeles with dictatorial power from the late 1880s until recent times.
The author of C.U.B.O. (Conduct Unbecoming an Officer), Don Lucier, enlisted in the United States Army after high school. He served in Vietnam as an infantryman. He was a Los Angeles Police Officer from 1970 to 1980.
Robert Houghton began his career in law enforcement in 1937 when be joined the Beverly Hills Police Department. In 1942, he joined the Los Angeles Police Department, rising to the rank of Chief of Detectives. His book, “Special Unit Senator,” tells the story of the LAPD’s investigation into the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.
Editors Note: The editor’s father was the first Los Angeles Police Officer on scene at the Ambassador Hotel.
Pierce R. Brooks began his police career in 1959, as a beat cop in Los Angeles. Twenty years later he retired as a captain with the reputation as one of the best detectives in the United States. After the Los Angeles Police Department, Chief Brooks served as the Director of Public Safety in Lakewood, Colorado. Brooks gained famed as the detective in Joseph Wambaugh’s book, “The Onion Field,” a true story of a brutal police killing. An acknowledged expert on police survival, he has conducted many seminars and lectures through the country. Brooks firm belief that most police killings could have been avoided motivated him to write, “…officer down, code three.”
Chief William L. Williams worked his way up from rookie patrolman at age twenty in 1964 to become commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department in 1988. In 1992, William Williams became the fiftieth chief of the Los Angeles Police Department and the first African-American chief of the department. According to the Library Journal, “That Los Angeles police chief Williams is upbeat shines through everything he has to say about his four years' tenure in L.A., his service before that in Philadelphia, and the country's prospects for fighting urban crime. Only a hopeful, positive, and competent person would sign on for a police department and a city wracked by the Rodney King trial riots and the exodus of elected officials from the city. Even as Williams was uplifting and retraining his demoralized police and giving the public renewed confidence in them, his department has faced a whole series of new traumas: the second King trial and its threat of riot; the Reginald Denny trial; the earthquake; the Michael Jackson child molestation probe; the Heidi Fleiss prostitution case; and the O.J. Simpson trial.”
While Police-Writers.com focuses on the 239 police officers (representing over 70 police departments) and their 622 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees; and, international police officers who have written books.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Corruption, incompetence and gritty fiction
Editors Note: Two of the four are prior military.
January 7, 2007 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com continued to add to the listing of state and local police officers who have authored books. Added were BJ Bourg, Charles Stoker, Tom Lange and Phillip Vannatter.
BJ Bourg began his law enforcement career in 1990 with the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office in Louisiana. He worked dispatch while attending the academy and, upon graduation was assigned to patrol. He worked patrol for about two years; and, in February of 1993, was promoted to detective. BJ worked as a detective for over ten years. He was promoted to sergeant and in 2003, became a full-time instructor at the police academy. In 2004, became the Chief Investigator for the Lafourche Parish District Attorney’s Office. He still teaches at the police academy. He began to take his life-long passion for writing seriously in 2003. Since that time, he has published nearly 100 short stories in publications like Future’s Mystery Magazine, Mysterical-E, Bewildering Stories, Apollo’s Lyre, Writer’s Post Journal, Amazon Shorts, and Chippewa Publishing. Additionally, his short stories appear in four books, “Absent the Soul” (a collection of my first twelve shorts), “The EX Factor” (a multi-authored anthology), “Stories of Strength” (a multi-authored anthology, the proceeds of which benefit victims of hurricane Katrina and other disasters), and “Seven By Seven” (a multi-authored anthology).
Former Los Angeles Police Department police officer Charles Stoker blasted 1940s corruption in the LAPD. In 1951, Charles Stoker published “Thicker’n Thieves.” According to the book cover, “where corrupt police officers, venal politicians and office-holders claimed to have been fighting the underworld, Stocker fought it personally, furiously and with everything at his command to the point where he was framed and fired for “CONDUCT UNBECOMING A POLICE OFFICER” because he testified to the fact before the 1949 Los Angeles Grand Jury. Aside from being a cold steel account of what transpired during his tenure as an officer, this is the highly human story of young Texan, Stoker.” Stoker’s 1951 bombshell is now a 2006 collectable, selling for as much as $500.
“Evidence Dismissed” is “the inside story of the police investigation of O.J. Simpson.” The authors, Detective Tom Lange and Detective Phillip Vannatter, were the lead detectives during the infamous case. Detective Tom Lange joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1967 after earning a Bronze Star in Vietnam as a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps. In nearly 29 years with the LAPD, he was awarded more than 60 commendations from various law enforcement agencies. During his career, he was involved in more than 250 murder investigations. He retired in 1996. His partner, Phillip Vannatter, entered the Los Angeles Police Department in 1969 after serving on the United States Army Peacekeeping force in Korea. In 27 years with the LAPD he investigated more than 250 homicides, and became a court expert in highly sensitive officer-involved shootings and homicides. Throughout his career, he received more than 60 commendations from law enforcement and over 200 from civilians. He retired in 1996.
While Police-Writers.com hosts 229 police officers (representing over 70 police departments) and their 611 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors and international police officers who have written books.
January 7, 2007 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com continued to add to the listing of state and local police officers who have authored books. Added were BJ Bourg, Charles Stoker, Tom Lange and Phillip Vannatter.
BJ Bourg began his law enforcement career in 1990 with the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office in Louisiana. He worked dispatch while attending the academy and, upon graduation was assigned to patrol. He worked patrol for about two years; and, in February of 1993, was promoted to detective. BJ worked as a detective for over ten years. He was promoted to sergeant and in 2003, became a full-time instructor at the police academy. In 2004, became the Chief Investigator for the Lafourche Parish District Attorney’s Office. He still teaches at the police academy. He began to take his life-long passion for writing seriously in 2003. Since that time, he has published nearly 100 short stories in publications like Future’s Mystery Magazine, Mysterical-E, Bewildering Stories, Apollo’s Lyre, Writer’s Post Journal, Amazon Shorts, and Chippewa Publishing. Additionally, his short stories appear in four books, “Absent the Soul” (a collection of my first twelve shorts), “The EX Factor” (a multi-authored anthology), “Stories of Strength” (a multi-authored anthology, the proceeds of which benefit victims of hurricane Katrina and other disasters), and “Seven By Seven” (a multi-authored anthology).
Former Los Angeles Police Department police officer Charles Stoker blasted 1940s corruption in the LAPD. In 1951, Charles Stoker published “Thicker’n Thieves.” According to the book cover, “where corrupt police officers, venal politicians and office-holders claimed to have been fighting the underworld, Stocker fought it personally, furiously and with everything at his command to the point where he was framed and fired for “CONDUCT UNBECOMING A POLICE OFFICER” because he testified to the fact before the 1949 Los Angeles Grand Jury. Aside from being a cold steel account of what transpired during his tenure as an officer, this is the highly human story of young Texan, Stoker.” Stoker’s 1951 bombshell is now a 2006 collectable, selling for as much as $500.
“Evidence Dismissed” is “the inside story of the police investigation of O.J. Simpson.” The authors, Detective Tom Lange and Detective Phillip Vannatter, were the lead detectives during the infamous case. Detective Tom Lange joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1967 after earning a Bronze Star in Vietnam as a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps. In nearly 29 years with the LAPD, he was awarded more than 60 commendations from various law enforcement agencies. During his career, he was involved in more than 250 murder investigations. He retired in 1996. His partner, Phillip Vannatter, entered the Los Angeles Police Department in 1969 after serving on the United States Army Peacekeeping force in Korea. In 27 years with the LAPD he investigated more than 250 homicides, and became a court expert in highly sensitive officer-involved shootings and homicides. Throughout his career, he received more than 60 commendations from law enforcement and over 200 from civilians. He retired in 1996.
While Police-Writers.com hosts 229 police officers (representing over 70 police departments) and their 611 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors and international police officers who have written books.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Pushing past 600
Editors Note: Three of the four are former U.S. Military.
With the addition of four new authors, Police-Writers.com, a website dedicated to police officers turned authors, reached 225 state and local police officers who have written books; and, pushed the total number of books written by those officers to 606.
Retired NYPD Captain Tom Walker’s Fort Apache, Bronx, NY was written during the early 1970's. According to one reviewer, “Fort Apache captures in vivid detail what it was like to work in the then busiest and deadliest precinct in New York. Walker describes the neighborhood and the cops who police it with uncanny accuracy. You will ride along with him to shootings, stabbings, muggings, and homicides. Walker captures the frustration and the dedication of the cops assigned to the 41st as they race from call to call in the seemingly endless parade of crime. A must read for those who enjoy true police stories.” Walker followed up years later with “Death of a Bronx Cop,” a true story about survival and love in the face of tragedy by a fourth-generation New York city police officer. In this book, Walker writes: "In the days, months and years to come, more New York City police will die. The official cause of death will be listed as suicide, heart attack, even homicide. In truth, the death certificate should read 'Organizational Murder--N.Y.C.P.D.'"
The author of 7 books, Bob Weir is a New York Police Department sergeant, with over ten years of undercover investigations and over 500 felony arrests to his credit. His first book, “City To Die For” chronicles the attempted takeover of Dallas, Texas by the Mafia in the 1940's. Bob also wrote, “Powers That Be,” a story of government collusion with organized crime, and “Ruthie's Kids,” his account of growing up poor in NYC; as well as three other powerful novels.
B. J. Whalen is a father and son writing team. The son, Bernard Whalen, is a lieutenant in the New York Police Department with more than eighteen years of service. During his career he has worked in New York City's Harlem, East Side, and Chinatown and in the plainclothes Anti-Crime Unit. He has sixteen department recognition awards, including two Commendations, and is a member of the NYPD Honor Legion.
His father, Jon Whalen, retired as a teacher from Manhasset High School on Long Island after thirty years in the classroom. While attending college, he worked as a New York State corrections officer at Sing Sing and Auburn prisons. He served four years in the U.S. Army 3rd Armored Cav. Regt. in Germany. Together, the father and son teamed pen their first novel, “Justifiable Homicide.”
Leo Whittlesey published his first novel entitled, End of Tour. The book is a fast-paced, suspense-filled tale of a New York mob kid, Frank Horan, turned cop who finds himself trapped in a massive corruption scheme and the main suspect in multiple murders. Frank is forced to use his mob connections and street smarts to extricate himself from the morass that his life has become at the hands of gangsters, cops and his own poor judgment. Leo lives in Charlotte, NC with his wife and two sons. He is an attorney and has also been a New York City police officer and small business owner.
While Police-Writers.com hosts 225 police officers (representing over 70 police departments) and their 606 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors and international police officers who have written books.
With the addition of four new authors, Police-Writers.com, a website dedicated to police officers turned authors, reached 225 state and local police officers who have written books; and, pushed the total number of books written by those officers to 606.
Retired NYPD Captain Tom Walker’s Fort Apache, Bronx, NY was written during the early 1970's. According to one reviewer, “Fort Apache captures in vivid detail what it was like to work in the then busiest and deadliest precinct in New York. Walker describes the neighborhood and the cops who police it with uncanny accuracy. You will ride along with him to shootings, stabbings, muggings, and homicides. Walker captures the frustration and the dedication of the cops assigned to the 41st as they race from call to call in the seemingly endless parade of crime. A must read for those who enjoy true police stories.” Walker followed up years later with “Death of a Bronx Cop,” a true story about survival and love in the face of tragedy by a fourth-generation New York city police officer. In this book, Walker writes: "In the days, months and years to come, more New York City police will die. The official cause of death will be listed as suicide, heart attack, even homicide. In truth, the death certificate should read 'Organizational Murder--N.Y.C.P.D.'"
The author of 7 books, Bob Weir is a New York Police Department sergeant, with over ten years of undercover investigations and over 500 felony arrests to his credit. His first book, “City To Die For” chronicles the attempted takeover of Dallas, Texas by the Mafia in the 1940's. Bob also wrote, “Powers That Be,” a story of government collusion with organized crime, and “Ruthie's Kids,” his account of growing up poor in NYC; as well as three other powerful novels.
B. J. Whalen is a father and son writing team. The son, Bernard Whalen, is a lieutenant in the New York Police Department with more than eighteen years of service. During his career he has worked in New York City's Harlem, East Side, and Chinatown and in the plainclothes Anti-Crime Unit. He has sixteen department recognition awards, including two Commendations, and is a member of the NYPD Honor Legion.
His father, Jon Whalen, retired as a teacher from Manhasset High School on Long Island after thirty years in the classroom. While attending college, he worked as a New York State corrections officer at Sing Sing and Auburn prisons. He served four years in the U.S. Army 3rd Armored Cav. Regt. in Germany. Together, the father and son teamed pen their first novel, “Justifiable Homicide.”
Leo Whittlesey published his first novel entitled, End of Tour. The book is a fast-paced, suspense-filled tale of a New York mob kid, Frank Horan, turned cop who finds himself trapped in a massive corruption scheme and the main suspect in multiple murders. Frank is forced to use his mob connections and street smarts to extricate himself from the morass that his life has become at the hands of gangsters, cops and his own poor judgment. Leo lives in Charlotte, NC with his wife and two sons. He is an attorney and has also been a New York City police officer and small business owner.
While Police-Writers.com hosts 225 police officers (representing over 70 police departments) and their 606 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors and international police officers who have written books.
Medical Team Examines, Treats Nearly 1,500 African Patients
By By Tech. Sgt. Devin L. Fisher, USAF
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 5, 2007 – U.S. troops in Rwanda and Botswana recently built bridges between the U.S. military and the African people by providing vital medical services to almost 1,500 needy patients. The troops took part in a U.S. European Command Medical Civilian Assistance Program exercise, one of several events that are a part of the U.S. EUCOM's Security Cooperation Division's Humanitarian and Civic Assistance Program. MEDCAPs are designed to provide medical and dental outreach to local civilian populations within the command's 92-nation area of operation.
Air Force Capt. Christie Barton, an optometrist with the 435th Aeromedical Squadron based on Ramstein Air Base, Germany, recalled the gratification she and the other four members of her medical team experienced as they treated 1,469 patients early last month.
In one case, a withdrawn elderly man entered the makeshift optometry clinic tent in Rwanda, hunched over nearly crawling so he could see the ground and avoid any obstacles on his way to the exam chair. But he walked out standing tall with a grin from ear to ear.
"It was like he was a different person," said Barton. She recalled the strong pair of spectacles weren't attractive and barely fit, but "his simple smile said it all."
To this day, Barton said she's still not sure if the patients or the providers gain more from the experience.
The Humanitarian and Civic Assistance Program provides the funding that enables the military medical teams to offer free basic medical and dental care for villagers. U.S. Embassy staffs select the locations and inform the villagers of the event. By interacting with foreign military forces and exposing local civilian populations to positive contacts with U.S. military members, the United States hopes to strengthen counter-terrorism capabilities.
Winning the "hearts and minds" of the locals with these MEDCAPs is part of European Command's ongoing Theater Security Cooperation strategy, officials here explain.
The goal of this MEDCAP was to familiarize the Rwanda and Botswana militaries with the programs, procedures and concepts for managing U.S. military preventive medical practices and deployed medical operations, said Air Force Lt. Col. Vince Gill from the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Surgeon General's Office, who served as the team lead.
The team conducted medical exchange seminars at the Kanombe military hospital in Kigali, Rwanda, inside a tent at the Returnee Camp on the Tanzanian border, and at the Sir Seretse Khama Barracks in Gaborone, Botswana.
The dental topics included expeditionary dentistry, soft tissue injuries, diseases of the mouth, oral hygiene and pediatric dentistry, while optometry topics focused on expeditionary optometry, causes of blindness and eye diseases. Additional seminars discussed medical operations planning, infection control, field sanitation and hygiene, triage, patient evacuation and self aid and buddy care.
"The next step is conducting interoperability clinics with the host-nation medical personnel to demonstrate implementation of the topics covered during the seminars," Gill said. The dental services are limited primarily to exams, extractions, simple surgical procedures, treatment for oral infections and oral hygiene education. Optometry services include exams, treatment for infections and eyeglasses, if required.
"The missions were very productive and valuable for us," Gill said. "We saw many cases of disease typically only seen in books."
(Tech. Sgt. Devin L. Fisher is assigned to U.S. European Command Public Affairs.)
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and personnel from the ranks of the military and police service who have become writers.
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 5, 2007 – U.S. troops in Rwanda and Botswana recently built bridges between the U.S. military and the African people by providing vital medical services to almost 1,500 needy patients. The troops took part in a U.S. European Command Medical Civilian Assistance Program exercise, one of several events that are a part of the U.S. EUCOM's Security Cooperation Division's Humanitarian and Civic Assistance Program. MEDCAPs are designed to provide medical and dental outreach to local civilian populations within the command's 92-nation area of operation.
Air Force Capt. Christie Barton, an optometrist with the 435th Aeromedical Squadron based on Ramstein Air Base, Germany, recalled the gratification she and the other four members of her medical team experienced as they treated 1,469 patients early last month.
In one case, a withdrawn elderly man entered the makeshift optometry clinic tent in Rwanda, hunched over nearly crawling so he could see the ground and avoid any obstacles on his way to the exam chair. But he walked out standing tall with a grin from ear to ear.
"It was like he was a different person," said Barton. She recalled the strong pair of spectacles weren't attractive and barely fit, but "his simple smile said it all."
To this day, Barton said she's still not sure if the patients or the providers gain more from the experience.
The Humanitarian and Civic Assistance Program provides the funding that enables the military medical teams to offer free basic medical and dental care for villagers. U.S. Embassy staffs select the locations and inform the villagers of the event. By interacting with foreign military forces and exposing local civilian populations to positive contacts with U.S. military members, the United States hopes to strengthen counter-terrorism capabilities.
Winning the "hearts and minds" of the locals with these MEDCAPs is part of European Command's ongoing Theater Security Cooperation strategy, officials here explain.
The goal of this MEDCAP was to familiarize the Rwanda and Botswana militaries with the programs, procedures and concepts for managing U.S. military preventive medical practices and deployed medical operations, said Air Force Lt. Col. Vince Gill from the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Surgeon General's Office, who served as the team lead.
The team conducted medical exchange seminars at the Kanombe military hospital in Kigali, Rwanda, inside a tent at the Returnee Camp on the Tanzanian border, and at the Sir Seretse Khama Barracks in Gaborone, Botswana.
The dental topics included expeditionary dentistry, soft tissue injuries, diseases of the mouth, oral hygiene and pediatric dentistry, while optometry topics focused on expeditionary optometry, causes of blindness and eye diseases. Additional seminars discussed medical operations planning, infection control, field sanitation and hygiene, triage, patient evacuation and self aid and buddy care.
"The next step is conducting interoperability clinics with the host-nation medical personnel to demonstrate implementation of the topics covered during the seminars," Gill said. The dental services are limited primarily to exams, extractions, simple surgical procedures, treatment for oral infections and oral hygiene education. Optometry services include exams, treatment for infections and eyeglasses, if required.
"The missions were very productive and valuable for us," Gill said. "We saw many cases of disease typically only seen in books."
(Tech. Sgt. Devin L. Fisher is assigned to U.S. European Command Public Affairs.)
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and personnel from the ranks of the military and police service who have become writers.
Bush Names Retired Admiral as Director of National Intelligence
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 5, 2007 – President Bush today named retired Navy Vice Adm. J. Michael McConnell as the director of national intelligence to succeed John Negroponte. Bush also nominated Negroponte, who has held the post for almost two years, to become deputy secretary of the State Department.
McConnell will bring solid "experience, intellect and character" to the DNI position, Bush said. He cited McConnell's service as director of the National Security Agency from 1992 to 1996 and as the chief intelligence advisor to Gen. Colin Powell, then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during Operation Desert Storm.
"Admiral McConnell has decades of experience ensuring that our military forces had the intelligence they need to fight and win wars," the president said. He also noted McConnell's proven ability to work with Congress and the White House.
Bush said this experience will be critical for the important position he has called on McConnell to fill. As DNI, he will be responsible for determining the national intelligence budget, overseeing the collection and analysis of intelligence information, ensuring that intelligence agencies share information with each other and creating common standards for intelligence community personnel.
Negroponte, a career federal service officer returning to the State Department, praised the state of U.S. intelligence and said he's confident McConnell will continue building on improvements already under way. The U.S. intelligence community "has embraced the challenge of functioning as a single, unified enterprise, and reaffirmed the fact that it is the best intelligence community in the world -- second to none," Negroponte said.
McConnell said he's honored for the opportunity to lead the intelligence community and recognizes the importance of providing "the right information to the right decision maker in the right time and format."
"Unlike just a decade ago, the threats of today and the future are moving at increasing speeds and across organizational and geographic boundaries," he said. "This will require increased coordinated responsiveness by our community of intelligence professionals."
McConnell said he hopes to continue improving processes "to provide the needed information for tactical, operational and strategic decision making."
The president praised Negroponte for his service as the nation's first DNI and the first U.S. ambassador to a free Iraq and called him "a superb choice" for the No. 2 State Department post.
"I'm confident the United States Senate will also see the value of these two serving in crucial positions, and I would hope that they would be confirmed as quickly as possible," Bush said.
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and personnel from the ranks of the military and police service who have become writers.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 5, 2007 – President Bush today named retired Navy Vice Adm. J. Michael McConnell as the director of national intelligence to succeed John Negroponte. Bush also nominated Negroponte, who has held the post for almost two years, to become deputy secretary of the State Department.
McConnell will bring solid "experience, intellect and character" to the DNI position, Bush said. He cited McConnell's service as director of the National Security Agency from 1992 to 1996 and as the chief intelligence advisor to Gen. Colin Powell, then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during Operation Desert Storm.
"Admiral McConnell has decades of experience ensuring that our military forces had the intelligence they need to fight and win wars," the president said. He also noted McConnell's proven ability to work with Congress and the White House.
Bush said this experience will be critical for the important position he has called on McConnell to fill. As DNI, he will be responsible for determining the national intelligence budget, overseeing the collection and analysis of intelligence information, ensuring that intelligence agencies share information with each other and creating common standards for intelligence community personnel.
Negroponte, a career federal service officer returning to the State Department, praised the state of U.S. intelligence and said he's confident McConnell will continue building on improvements already under way. The U.S. intelligence community "has embraced the challenge of functioning as a single, unified enterprise, and reaffirmed the fact that it is the best intelligence community in the world -- second to none," Negroponte said.
McConnell said he's honored for the opportunity to lead the intelligence community and recognizes the importance of providing "the right information to the right decision maker in the right time and format."
"Unlike just a decade ago, the threats of today and the future are moving at increasing speeds and across organizational and geographic boundaries," he said. "This will require increased coordinated responsiveness by our community of intelligence professionals."
McConnell said he hopes to continue improving processes "to provide the needed information for tactical, operational and strategic decision making."
The president praised Negroponte for his service as the nation's first DNI and the first U.S. ambassador to a free Iraq and called him "a superb choice" for the No. 2 State Department post.
"I'm confident the United States Senate will also see the value of these two serving in crucial positions, and I would hope that they would be confirmed as quickly as possible," Bush said.
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and personnel from the ranks of the military and police service who have become writers.
Friday, January 05, 2007
National Guard Rescues People, Cattle After Severe Storms
By Sgt. Jim Greenhill, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 5, 2007 – National Guard troops in eight states rescued people and hauled hay to livestock following a severe end-of-year winter storm that stretched from America's northern to southern borders. At least 13 people in five states died in the storm. Hundreds of Guard members in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Washington - sometimes assisted by other states - spent their holiday season rescuing stranded motorists, carrying medical supplies and restoring power. In Colorado, Kansas and New Mexico, Guard members dropped hay from helicopters to starving cattle.
"That responsibility is one of our primary missions, and we have always responded," Air Force Maj. Gen. Mason Whitney, Colorado's adjutant general, told American Forces Information Service. "That's the strength of the National Guard. We are the forward-deployed forces in communities across America for the homeland defense and emergency response mission."
In Colorado, vehicles stranded by a pre-Christmas snowstorm that dumped 30 inches in the mountains and nine inches on the plains rendered Interstate 25 impassable, and Guardmembers helped state troopers clear the road. Drivers were stranded on I-25, US-52 and I-70. Hundreds of miles of interstates were closed. About 60 Colorado National Guard members rescued dozens of stranded motorists after the most powerful snowstorm in almost four years.
"They're telling me it's zero visibility," Whitney said. "They'll kind of bump into something, and it'll turn out to be a car with people in it."
The Guard conducted search-and-rescue missions, provided emergency medical transport and carried supplies to Red Cross shelters.
Citizen-soldiers and -airmen took food and water to thousands of travelers trapped at Denver International Airport, closed more than two days by the storm.
Five days after the Colorado Guard stood down from that first storm, it swung into action again before the severe blizzard conditions of Dec. 28 and 29. The Guard's joint forces headquarters issued a warning order as the second storm approached.
Colorado Guard leaders anticipated that the new storm centered on Denver and Colorado Springs on top of previously accumulated snow could again threaten lives and further disrupt travel. Even before assistance was requested, the Colorado Guard prepared dozens of high-ground-clearance vehicles and aviation assets to aid local emergency responders. Some 166 Guard members stayed overnight at armories to be in position ahead of time.
Challenges included snowfall that varied from seven to 30 inches and was blown by 70 mph wind gusts, forming drifts up to six feet high across roads. Hundreds of motorists were stranded, including tour bus passengers rescued by the Guard on US-287 in Prowers County. Roads, including intersates, were again closed. The same storm moved down to New Mexico and then on to the Texas Panhandle.
Guard members took food, water, blankets and cots to shelters that ran low on supplies. People were trapped in their homes. Power was cut off. The domino effect of disrupted transportation corridors caused grocery stores across the Rocky Mountain states to run short of food for days. Gov. Bill Owens declared an emergency.
More than 126 Colorado Guard members patrolled on the ground and in the air to rescue stranded motorists, provided medical aid to five people and medical transport and distributed medicine, baby formula and other critical supplies to isolated areas along the state's Front Range.
"It's amazing to see how people work so well together under stressful conditions," Capt. Jason Stuchlik, 2nd Battalion, 157th Field Artillery, told The Pueblo Chief. Previously, Stuchlik's unit was part of the National Guard's historic response to Hurricane Katrina.
"We are seeing another extreme, from hot to cold," he said. "The Katrina effort has made us more prepared for this situation."
Guard members rescued 134 people, recovered four emergency response vehicles and eight private vehicles.
They conducted medical resupply missions and, backed by Guard members and air assets from Oklahoma and Wyoming, dropped hundreds of bales of hay to some of an estimated 345,000 cattle stranded by 10-foot snowdrifts and facing starvation. In 1997, 30,000 cattle died in a Colorado snowstorm.
"You can tell immediately where they are," Whitney told CBS News. "You'll see a bunch of dark spots clustered together in a sea of white."
Guard helicopters also dropped Meals Ready to Eat outside remote homes.
"It's the middle of nowhere," Sgt. 1st Class Steve Segin told CBS News. "You lose the power, you might as well be in 1885. There's no cell phone, no lights, no contact."
Some 114 Army and Air National Guard members assisted at emergency shelters and provided power, supplies and transportation after 15 to 36 inches of snow stranded motorists, emergency services and medical personnel in roadside areas in western Kansas.
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius declared a disaster area in 44 counties after the storm that brought 13-foot snowdrifts. More than 60,000 customers were without power for up to a week after about 8,000 transmission poles were downed.
Some 3.7 million head of cattle, worth $3.4 billion, are located in the affected counties, it was reported Jan. 5.
A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter stood by for rescues as Guard members helped with house-to-house welfare checks. Four armories served as shelters. Accumulating snow caused a fire department building to collapse, and the Kansas National Guard provided an armory for emergency responders. A Black Hawk dropped hay to snow- and ice-bound cattle.
Kansas and Colorado agreed to support lifesaving cross-border operations. About seven Nebraska National Guard members helped utility workers restore power to about 35,000 people left without power for up to a week after the storm downed an estimated 38 major transmission lines in central Nebraska. An OH-58 Kiowa helicopter and a Black Hawk helped power officials assess damage.
Western and north-central Nebraska faced freezing rain, heavy snow and strong winds. Some trees had a three-inch layer of ice. About 20 members of the New Mexico National Guard used a dozen high-wheeled vehicles and helicopters to provide emergency medical assistance and rescue stranded motorists, hunters and residents of remote areas.
The record-setting storm turned the desert white and canceled flights. This occurred after a year that had already seen New Mexico Guard members patrolling the border with Mexico as part of Operation Jump Start and providing potable water and equipment to drought-stricken communities, in addition to overseas missions and continued counter-drug activity.
A Black Hawk helicopter crew rescued a stranded heart transplant patient. Another ferried a bulldozer operator to awaiting equipment so he could help ranchers get to cattle. Guard members also rescued four hunters and pulled people from five stranded vehicles. They provided cots to citizens in three cities.
Gov. Bill Richardson ordered more National Guard Black Hawks to check on residents' welfare and drop hay.
"We're taking this extraordinary step to assist our farmers and ranchers as they struggle to save their livestock and dig out from the incredible snowfall," Richardson told the Albuquerque Journal. More than 15 inches of snow fell on Albuquerque, an arid desert city.
The New Mexico National Guard also surveyed damage and delivered infant supplies to numerous homes, the governor's office reported. An Oklahoma National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter joined a half-dozen Humvees as about 21 Guard members conducted air drops and search- and-recovery operations in Cimarron County, in the western part of the state, officials reported.
Even as it responded in its own state, the Oklahoma National Guard also sent five members to Colorado to operate a Chinook providing humanitarian and livestock supplies. A Chinook and two Black Hawk helicopters from the Oregon National Guard were joined by a C-130 Hercules aircraft from the Nevada National Guard in a quest to save three climbers missing on Mount Hood.
The plane was equipped with infrared and a zooming camera lens. "This is the only one in the Air Force, so if they want this technology. It's coming from Reno," Master Sgt. Craig Madole, 152nd Intelligence Squadron, Nevada Air National Guard, told the Nevada Appeal. The unit used the same technology during its response to Hurricane Katrina.
"Our hearts are going out to the families right now," Capt. Mike Brabish, Oregon National Guard, told The Seattle Times after one climber's body was found Dec. 17. The search for the other two will resume in the spring, officials said. The Texas National Guard also anticipated the inclement weather, prepositioning about a dozen members at the Amarillo Armory who supported public safety workers in the Texas panhandle.
About 17 Guard members provided generators and other logistics to care centers for elderly people, wastewater treatment plants and other facilities after December windstorms knocked out power.
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and personnel from the ranks of the military and police service who have become writers.
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 5, 2007 – National Guard troops in eight states rescued people and hauled hay to livestock following a severe end-of-year winter storm that stretched from America's northern to southern borders. At least 13 people in five states died in the storm. Hundreds of Guard members in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Washington - sometimes assisted by other states - spent their holiday season rescuing stranded motorists, carrying medical supplies and restoring power. In Colorado, Kansas and New Mexico, Guard members dropped hay from helicopters to starving cattle.
"That responsibility is one of our primary missions, and we have always responded," Air Force Maj. Gen. Mason Whitney, Colorado's adjutant general, told American Forces Information Service. "That's the strength of the National Guard. We are the forward-deployed forces in communities across America for the homeland defense and emergency response mission."
In Colorado, vehicles stranded by a pre-Christmas snowstorm that dumped 30 inches in the mountains and nine inches on the plains rendered Interstate 25 impassable, and Guardmembers helped state troopers clear the road. Drivers were stranded on I-25, US-52 and I-70. Hundreds of miles of interstates were closed. About 60 Colorado National Guard members rescued dozens of stranded motorists after the most powerful snowstorm in almost four years.
"They're telling me it's zero visibility," Whitney said. "They'll kind of bump into something, and it'll turn out to be a car with people in it."
The Guard conducted search-and-rescue missions, provided emergency medical transport and carried supplies to Red Cross shelters.
Citizen-soldiers and -airmen took food and water to thousands of travelers trapped at Denver International Airport, closed more than two days by the storm.
Five days after the Colorado Guard stood down from that first storm, it swung into action again before the severe blizzard conditions of Dec. 28 and 29. The Guard's joint forces headquarters issued a warning order as the second storm approached.
Colorado Guard leaders anticipated that the new storm centered on Denver and Colorado Springs on top of previously accumulated snow could again threaten lives and further disrupt travel. Even before assistance was requested, the Colorado Guard prepared dozens of high-ground-clearance vehicles and aviation assets to aid local emergency responders. Some 166 Guard members stayed overnight at armories to be in position ahead of time.
Challenges included snowfall that varied from seven to 30 inches and was blown by 70 mph wind gusts, forming drifts up to six feet high across roads. Hundreds of motorists were stranded, including tour bus passengers rescued by the Guard on US-287 in Prowers County. Roads, including intersates, were again closed. The same storm moved down to New Mexico and then on to the Texas Panhandle.
Guard members took food, water, blankets and cots to shelters that ran low on supplies. People were trapped in their homes. Power was cut off. The domino effect of disrupted transportation corridors caused grocery stores across the Rocky Mountain states to run short of food for days. Gov. Bill Owens declared an emergency.
More than 126 Colorado Guard members patrolled on the ground and in the air to rescue stranded motorists, provided medical aid to five people and medical transport and distributed medicine, baby formula and other critical supplies to isolated areas along the state's Front Range.
"It's amazing to see how people work so well together under stressful conditions," Capt. Jason Stuchlik, 2nd Battalion, 157th Field Artillery, told The Pueblo Chief. Previously, Stuchlik's unit was part of the National Guard's historic response to Hurricane Katrina.
"We are seeing another extreme, from hot to cold," he said. "The Katrina effort has made us more prepared for this situation."
Guard members rescued 134 people, recovered four emergency response vehicles and eight private vehicles.
They conducted medical resupply missions and, backed by Guard members and air assets from Oklahoma and Wyoming, dropped hundreds of bales of hay to some of an estimated 345,000 cattle stranded by 10-foot snowdrifts and facing starvation. In 1997, 30,000 cattle died in a Colorado snowstorm.
"You can tell immediately where they are," Whitney told CBS News. "You'll see a bunch of dark spots clustered together in a sea of white."
Guard helicopters also dropped Meals Ready to Eat outside remote homes.
"It's the middle of nowhere," Sgt. 1st Class Steve Segin told CBS News. "You lose the power, you might as well be in 1885. There's no cell phone, no lights, no contact."
Some 114 Army and Air National Guard members assisted at emergency shelters and provided power, supplies and transportation after 15 to 36 inches of snow stranded motorists, emergency services and medical personnel in roadside areas in western Kansas.
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius declared a disaster area in 44 counties after the storm that brought 13-foot snowdrifts. More than 60,000 customers were without power for up to a week after about 8,000 transmission poles were downed.
Some 3.7 million head of cattle, worth $3.4 billion, are located in the affected counties, it was reported Jan. 5.
A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter stood by for rescues as Guard members helped with house-to-house welfare checks. Four armories served as shelters. Accumulating snow caused a fire department building to collapse, and the Kansas National Guard provided an armory for emergency responders. A Black Hawk dropped hay to snow- and ice-bound cattle.
Kansas and Colorado agreed to support lifesaving cross-border operations. About seven Nebraska National Guard members helped utility workers restore power to about 35,000 people left without power for up to a week after the storm downed an estimated 38 major transmission lines in central Nebraska. An OH-58 Kiowa helicopter and a Black Hawk helped power officials assess damage.
Western and north-central Nebraska faced freezing rain, heavy snow and strong winds. Some trees had a three-inch layer of ice. About 20 members of the New Mexico National Guard used a dozen high-wheeled vehicles and helicopters to provide emergency medical assistance and rescue stranded motorists, hunters and residents of remote areas.
The record-setting storm turned the desert white and canceled flights. This occurred after a year that had already seen New Mexico Guard members patrolling the border with Mexico as part of Operation Jump Start and providing potable water and equipment to drought-stricken communities, in addition to overseas missions and continued counter-drug activity.
A Black Hawk helicopter crew rescued a stranded heart transplant patient. Another ferried a bulldozer operator to awaiting equipment so he could help ranchers get to cattle. Guard members also rescued four hunters and pulled people from five stranded vehicles. They provided cots to citizens in three cities.
Gov. Bill Richardson ordered more National Guard Black Hawks to check on residents' welfare and drop hay.
"We're taking this extraordinary step to assist our farmers and ranchers as they struggle to save their livestock and dig out from the incredible snowfall," Richardson told the Albuquerque Journal. More than 15 inches of snow fell on Albuquerque, an arid desert city.
The New Mexico National Guard also surveyed damage and delivered infant supplies to numerous homes, the governor's office reported. An Oklahoma National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter joined a half-dozen Humvees as about 21 Guard members conducted air drops and search- and-recovery operations in Cimarron County, in the western part of the state, officials reported.
Even as it responded in its own state, the Oklahoma National Guard also sent five members to Colorado to operate a Chinook providing humanitarian and livestock supplies. A Chinook and two Black Hawk helicopters from the Oregon National Guard were joined by a C-130 Hercules aircraft from the Nevada National Guard in a quest to save three climbers missing on Mount Hood.
The plane was equipped with infrared and a zooming camera lens. "This is the only one in the Air Force, so if they want this technology. It's coming from Reno," Master Sgt. Craig Madole, 152nd Intelligence Squadron, Nevada Air National Guard, told the Nevada Appeal. The unit used the same technology during its response to Hurricane Katrina.
"Our hearts are going out to the families right now," Capt. Mike Brabish, Oregon National Guard, told The Seattle Times after one climber's body was found Dec. 17. The search for the other two will resume in the spring, officials said. The Texas National Guard also anticipated the inclement weather, prepositioning about a dozen members at the Amarillo Armory who supported public safety workers in the Texas panhandle.
About 17 Guard members provided generators and other logistics to care centers for elderly people, wastewater treatment plants and other facilities after December windstorms knocked out power.
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and personnel from the ranks of the military and police service who have become writers.
Group's Hearts Go Out to Troops
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 5, 2007 – An Illinois-based troop support group wants servicemembers to know they have America's hearts, literally. "The whole theme around the 'You Have Our Hearts' campaign is about ... showing our love and compassion for the troops overseas," Amy Oxford, founder of SI Yellow Ribbon Campaign, said. "Every year we send over thousands of homemade Valentines from school kids and churches and even families."
The nonprofit group is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program showcasing ways Americans support the nation's servicemembers.
Fresh off of its fourth "Holiday Hugs to Our Heroes" campaign, the group has launched its fourth Valentine's Day project, which it has conducted every year since its March 2003 beginning.
Oxford, her mother, Kathy, and now-6-year-old daughter, Callie, stuff boxes full of homemade heart-shaped valentines sent in from across the country and get them to troops serving overseas.
And, because Valentine's Day is a holiday associated with sweets, of course those boxes also include candy.
"We try to do the heart theme with ... the heart (shaped) suckers and the little boxes of heart chocolates and conversation hearts," Oxford said. "We put a lot of love into those packages."
This year, she started the drive for the Valentine's Day mailings the day after Christmas. She hopes that thousands of Valentines and heart-shaped candy will pour in from across the country by Jan. 22. The seemingly early deadline will allow time to get the packages to the servicemembers as close to the holiday as possible.
Oxford and her small band of cupids also are hoping to receive cash donations to offset the cost of shipping 500 to 800 flat-rate boxes of goodies overseas. That's a hefty sum at $8.10 each.
"We can definitely still use help there," she said. "There's always a standing need for postage."
Oxford said her group does this just to "let (servicemembers) know everybody back here in the good old U.S. hasn't forgotten about them, and we do love them on this Valentine's Day."
Information on how to make donations - goods or cash - can be found on the SI Yellow Ribbon Campaign Web site.
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and personnel from the ranks of the military and police service who have become writers.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 5, 2007 – An Illinois-based troop support group wants servicemembers to know they have America's hearts, literally. "The whole theme around the 'You Have Our Hearts' campaign is about ... showing our love and compassion for the troops overseas," Amy Oxford, founder of SI Yellow Ribbon Campaign, said. "Every year we send over thousands of homemade Valentines from school kids and churches and even families."
The nonprofit group is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program showcasing ways Americans support the nation's servicemembers.
Fresh off of its fourth "Holiday Hugs to Our Heroes" campaign, the group has launched its fourth Valentine's Day project, which it has conducted every year since its March 2003 beginning.
Oxford, her mother, Kathy, and now-6-year-old daughter, Callie, stuff boxes full of homemade heart-shaped valentines sent in from across the country and get them to troops serving overseas.
And, because Valentine's Day is a holiday associated with sweets, of course those boxes also include candy.
"We try to do the heart theme with ... the heart (shaped) suckers and the little boxes of heart chocolates and conversation hearts," Oxford said. "We put a lot of love into those packages."
This year, she started the drive for the Valentine's Day mailings the day after Christmas. She hopes that thousands of Valentines and heart-shaped candy will pour in from across the country by Jan. 22. The seemingly early deadline will allow time to get the packages to the servicemembers as close to the holiday as possible.
Oxford and her small band of cupids also are hoping to receive cash donations to offset the cost of shipping 500 to 800 flat-rate boxes of goodies overseas. That's a hefty sum at $8.10 each.
"We can definitely still use help there," she said. "There's always a standing need for postage."
Oxford said her group does this just to "let (servicemembers) know everybody back here in the good old U.S. hasn't forgotten about them, and we do love them on this Valentine's Day."
Information on how to make donations - goods or cash - can be found on the SI Yellow Ribbon Campaign Web site.
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and personnel from the ranks of the military and police service who have become writers.
New Governance Will Improve Military Health Care System, Official Says
By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 5, 2007 – The new governance plan for the military health care system, which is in its very early stages, will improve the care given to troops and their families in today's joint environment, the Defense Department's top health official said today. The idea behind the new governance plan is to have the separate military services work together even more closely than they do now in the area of health care. This will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the system, Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr., assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said in an interview at the Pentagon.
"Our system does work well now; we have great outcomes in battlefield medicine and in the care of our wounded - the best in history," Winkenwerder said. "But we have a vision, we have a clear set of ideas that things can work even better."
The new governance plan was approved by Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England on Nov. 27, 2006. It calls for joint oversight and leadership of several key functional areas across the health system, such as education and training, medical research, and health care delivery.
Under the new plan, large local markets that serve more than one branch of the military will have a unified authority, Winkenwerder explained. This will allow for better decision making, increased cost effectiveness and shared resources, he said.
The Defense Department will consolidate medical education and training at a new center in San Antonio, and it will also consolidate medical research. Any research that is unique to a specific service will be preserved, Winkenwerder added.
"One of the things that we wanted to do was to not break anything that works well today; we don't think we're going to do that at all," he said.
DoD health care has already consolidated in one area - information technology. Winkenwerder praised the new electronic medical records system, AHLTA, the "Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application," which is used by all services at all military treatment facilities.
"We have the chance to do that kind of thing in other areas, and that's what the new governance plan is about," he said.
The new governance plan will not create a new joint command with one surgeon general, Winkenwerder explained. The services will maintain their separate surgeons general, he said, but major changes in governance will happen across the board.
The new governance system will require a transition process, Winkenwerder said. Details of the plan still need to be worked out, and a transition team will be appointed to map the execution of the plan, which is expected to be complete by 2009.
Key goals of the new plan are to save taxpayer dollars and improve the health care given to troops and their families, Winkenwerder said. He praised the services for their cooperation and compromise in developing the plan, and expressed optimism about the success of the plan.
"Ultimately, all of this needs to be about producing a better product, producing a better result, all in the interest of our servicemembers and their families," he said. "They deserve the best that we can provide them, and that's the goal of all this."
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and personnel from the ranks of the military and police service who have become writers.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 5, 2007 – The new governance plan for the military health care system, which is in its very early stages, will improve the care given to troops and their families in today's joint environment, the Defense Department's top health official said today. The idea behind the new governance plan is to have the separate military services work together even more closely than they do now in the area of health care. This will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the system, Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr., assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said in an interview at the Pentagon.
"Our system does work well now; we have great outcomes in battlefield medicine and in the care of our wounded - the best in history," Winkenwerder said. "But we have a vision, we have a clear set of ideas that things can work even better."
The new governance plan was approved by Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England on Nov. 27, 2006. It calls for joint oversight and leadership of several key functional areas across the health system, such as education and training, medical research, and health care delivery.
Under the new plan, large local markets that serve more than one branch of the military will have a unified authority, Winkenwerder explained. This will allow for better decision making, increased cost effectiveness and shared resources, he said.
The Defense Department will consolidate medical education and training at a new center in San Antonio, and it will also consolidate medical research. Any research that is unique to a specific service will be preserved, Winkenwerder added.
"One of the things that we wanted to do was to not break anything that works well today; we don't think we're going to do that at all," he said.
DoD health care has already consolidated in one area - information technology. Winkenwerder praised the new electronic medical records system, AHLTA, the "Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application," which is used by all services at all military treatment facilities.
"We have the chance to do that kind of thing in other areas, and that's what the new governance plan is about," he said.
The new governance plan will not create a new joint command with one surgeon general, Winkenwerder explained. The services will maintain their separate surgeons general, he said, but major changes in governance will happen across the board.
The new governance system will require a transition process, Winkenwerder said. Details of the plan still need to be worked out, and a transition team will be appointed to map the execution of the plan, which is expected to be complete by 2009.
Key goals of the new plan are to save taxpayer dollars and improve the health care given to troops and their families, Winkenwerder said. He praised the services for their cooperation and compromise in developing the plan, and expressed optimism about the success of the plan.
"Ultimately, all of this needs to be about producing a better product, producing a better result, all in the interest of our servicemembers and their families," he said. "They deserve the best that we can provide them, and that's the goal of all this."
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and personnel from the ranks of the military and police service who have become writers.
Gates Makes Recommendations for Filling Key Military Roles
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 5, 2007 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today announced his recommendations to President Bush for nominations to fill key military leadership and command positions.
Gates recommended that U.S. Navy Adm. William J. "Fox" Fallon, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, succeed U.S. Army Gen. John Abizaid as commander of the U.S. Central Command. Abizaid has commanded CENTCOM since July 7, 2003 and is due to retire this spring.
"In departing Central Command, Gen. John Abizaid will cap what has been one of the most storied military careers in recent memory," Gates said in a press release.
Gates called Fallon the right person to take over from Abizaid.
"A naval flight officer who flew combat missions in Vietnam, Admiral Fallon combines nearly four decades of military experience with fresh perspective to the challenges America faces in the Central Command's area of operations," Gates said. "Fox Fallon is one of the best strategic thinkers in uniform today and his reputation for innovation is without peer." Gates also recommended Army Lt. Gen. David Petraeus to succeed Army Gen. George Casey as commander of Multinational Force Iraq.
He recommended Casey, in turn, for appointment as the new U.S. Army chief of staff, to replace Gen. Peter Schoomaker.
Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld called Schoomaker from retirement in 2003 to serve in the top Army post. Casey served as Schoomaker's vice chief of staff before becoming commander of ground forces in Iraq.
Petreus has served as commander of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, Kan., since Oct. 20, 2005.
Before that, he served three critical missions in Iraq: commanding the 101th Airborne Division, the Multinational Security Transition Command and the NATO Training Mission Iraq.
Petraeus led the 101st Division in Mosul during the first year of Iraqi Freedom. In that role, he "oversaw a multifaceted program that within months established local government, restarted the local economy, and stood up local security forces," Gates noted today.
Petraeus served as the first commander of the Multinational Security Transition Command from June 2004 to September 2005 and commanded the NATO Training Mission Iraq from October 2004 through September 2005.
As he launched and led the coalition's program to train and equip Iraq's army and police, Petraeus has been leading the effort to rewrite the military's doctrine for defeating the insurgency, Gates said.
Casey, who has served as commander of Multinational Force Iraq since July 2004, is the right person to hold the top Army uniformed position, Gates said.
"There is no officer at this time better suited to be Army chief of staff than Gen. George Casey," Gates said. "General Casey knows first hand the capabilities the U.S. Army must have to succeed in the complex and unconventional campaigns of the 21st century."
Gates praised Schoomaker, who has served as the Army chief of staff since, Aug. 1, 2003.
"As a result of General Schoomaker's vision and leadership, the transformation of the Army is well on its way, to the benefit of our soldiers, their families, and the safety of our nation," Gates said. "Every American is in General Schoomaker's debt for his willingness to return to active service and embrace such a daunting assignment at a critical time in our nation's history."
Gates noted the mix of experience, skills, creativity and strategic vision that is essential in key national security positions, and said Casey, Petraeus, and Fallon possess these talents.
"We are engaged in three wars - in Iraq, Afghanistan, and against jihadist terrorism worldwide," Gates said. "As secretary of defense, and as a citizen, I firmly believe that Generals Petraeus and Casey and Admiral Fallon, as individuals and as a team, bring to the challenges that face us, the qualities necessary to be successful in war and to protect the American people."
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and personnel from the ranks of the military and police service who have become writers.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 5, 2007 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today announced his recommendations to President Bush for nominations to fill key military leadership and command positions.
Gates recommended that U.S. Navy Adm. William J. "Fox" Fallon, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, succeed U.S. Army Gen. John Abizaid as commander of the U.S. Central Command. Abizaid has commanded CENTCOM since July 7, 2003 and is due to retire this spring.
"In departing Central Command, Gen. John Abizaid will cap what has been one of the most storied military careers in recent memory," Gates said in a press release.
Gates called Fallon the right person to take over from Abizaid.
"A naval flight officer who flew combat missions in Vietnam, Admiral Fallon combines nearly four decades of military experience with fresh perspective to the challenges America faces in the Central Command's area of operations," Gates said. "Fox Fallon is one of the best strategic thinkers in uniform today and his reputation for innovation is without peer." Gates also recommended Army Lt. Gen. David Petraeus to succeed Army Gen. George Casey as commander of Multinational Force Iraq.
He recommended Casey, in turn, for appointment as the new U.S. Army chief of staff, to replace Gen. Peter Schoomaker.
Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld called Schoomaker from retirement in 2003 to serve in the top Army post. Casey served as Schoomaker's vice chief of staff before becoming commander of ground forces in Iraq.
Petreus has served as commander of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, Kan., since Oct. 20, 2005.
Before that, he served three critical missions in Iraq: commanding the 101th Airborne Division, the Multinational Security Transition Command and the NATO Training Mission Iraq.
Petraeus led the 101st Division in Mosul during the first year of Iraqi Freedom. In that role, he "oversaw a multifaceted program that within months established local government, restarted the local economy, and stood up local security forces," Gates noted today.
Petraeus served as the first commander of the Multinational Security Transition Command from June 2004 to September 2005 and commanded the NATO Training Mission Iraq from October 2004 through September 2005.
As he launched and led the coalition's program to train and equip Iraq's army and police, Petraeus has been leading the effort to rewrite the military's doctrine for defeating the insurgency, Gates said.
Casey, who has served as commander of Multinational Force Iraq since July 2004, is the right person to hold the top Army uniformed position, Gates said.
"There is no officer at this time better suited to be Army chief of staff than Gen. George Casey," Gates said. "General Casey knows first hand the capabilities the U.S. Army must have to succeed in the complex and unconventional campaigns of the 21st century."
Gates praised Schoomaker, who has served as the Army chief of staff since, Aug. 1, 2003.
"As a result of General Schoomaker's vision and leadership, the transformation of the Army is well on its way, to the benefit of our soldiers, their families, and the safety of our nation," Gates said. "Every American is in General Schoomaker's debt for his willingness to return to active service and embrace such a daunting assignment at a critical time in our nation's history."
Gates noted the mix of experience, skills, creativity and strategic vision that is essential in key national security positions, and said Casey, Petraeus, and Fallon possess these talents.
"We are engaged in three wars - in Iraq, Afghanistan, and against jihadist terrorism worldwide," Gates said. "As secretary of defense, and as a citizen, I firmly believe that Generals Petraeus and Casey and Admiral Fallon, as individuals and as a team, bring to the challenges that face us, the qualities necessary to be successful in war and to protect the American people."
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and personnel from the ranks of the military and police service who have become writers.
100 Wounded Troops, Families Walk Road to Recovery
Jan. 4, 2007 – Nearly 100 wounded servicemembers and their families recently returned home with a renewed sense of family, inspiration and hope after attending the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes third annual Road to Recovery Conference. The conference was held in mid-December at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.
The Coalition to Salute America's Heroes is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program showcasing the ways Americans support the nation's servicemembers.
The conference first began in 2004 to provide a meaningful way for individuals, corporations and others to help severely wounded and disabled veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom and their families rebuild their lives. The all-expenses-paid event, which concluded Dec. 17, offered the servicemembers and their families the same support as its predecessors, according to a Coalition to Salue America's Heroes spokesperson.
Those attending enjoyed four days of much-needed rest and relaxation, as well as access to training and counseling in areas relevant to their lives after returning from combat, the spokesperson said.
Speakers included one of the country's foremost experts on post-traumatic stress disorder, a certified sex educator, and a severely Vietnam veteran who delivered an inspiring message on turning a bad experience into something good and making the most of their lives.
As a result of a servicemember's injuries, often times the spouse or loved ones must leave their jobs to become a caretaker. This loss in income, in addition to the added expenses of medication and hospital bills, is a blow to an already modest family income, the spokesperson said.
The conference offered job training and access to some of the nation's top organizations looking to hire veterans, the spokesperson said. These included the Defense Department, State Department, Merrill Lynch, Military Severely Injured Center, Northrop Grumman, General Motors, Bank of America, and Department of Veteran Affairs.
As a result of this training and two-day job fair, the spokesperson said, nearly a dozen troops and family members got job offers.
Additionally, servicemembers and their families were given access to the top resources available from the government, veteran service organizations and the private sector. They were able to voice their thanks or concerns to the people who can make a difference in their lives by participating in a panel discussion with other severely injured servicemembers, VA TRICARE, Marines for Life, Navy Safe Harbor, and the Wounded Warrior Program.
During these sessions the families gained a better understanding of the depth of services available to them, the spokesperson said, and the conference made readily accessible these resources easily accessible, which can easily be overlooked by veterans.
As much as the Road to Recovery is for the servicemembers, it is also for their loved ones. The conference provided group therapy sessions for the children, spouses, and caregivers on coping strategies, financial planning and relationships, sexuality and quality of life. There was also plenty of time for family-bonding and fun, the spokesperson said.
Families visited Walt Disney World, participating in family night events with performance painter Michael Isreal, face painting and special meetings with Disney characters.
The last night of the event, a special banquet and tribute was held to thank those men and women who sacrificed for their country, and to thank others who stepped up to help in their healing process. The coalition presented each attendee with a $500 gift check to buy holiday gifts.
The presentation was part of the second annual gift check program that the coalition implements to ensure wounded veterans and their families have a brighter holiday.
The Florida Chapter of The Einstein Foundation also presented each attending servicemember from Florida with a $10,000 check to show their gratitude "for defending the freedoms that we all hold so dear."
Actor Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band provided entertainment for the evening with a special tribute concert for the servicemembers who, with their families, danced late into the night.
Special recognition was given to those individuals, servicemembers, service organizations and corporations that stepped up in their own ways in 2006 to provide support to these wounded and disabled veterans. The coalition honored GNC, General Motors, Jackson-Hewitt, NAPE Oil and Gas, Shell Motor Oil, and KCI Research and Development with its "Home Front Hero" award for sponsoring the Road to Recovery Conference and Tribute. Sinise, the Military Severely Injured Center and Mychel Watts, a retired Marine and professional photographer, also received the award for their support of the coalition and the nation's servicemembers.
"The Coalition to Salute America's Heroes is extremely honored that our corporate sponsors ... have stepped up with donations to cover the families' expenses," said Ray Clifford, vice president of the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes. "We are already busy planning our 2007 conference and are excited to partner with other corporations looking to show their dedication, commitment and support of those severely wounded men and women that served our country."
Perhaps as important as the knowledge and support servicemembers gained at the Road to Recovery Conference and Tribute, they were allowed the chance to bond with their families and one another. Seeing that there is an enormous network of support from one another, the public and corporations was an incredible step forward in their road to recovery, the spokesperson said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice leadership; and, police and military personnel who have written books.
The Coalition to Salute America's Heroes is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program showcasing the ways Americans support the nation's servicemembers.
The conference first began in 2004 to provide a meaningful way for individuals, corporations and others to help severely wounded and disabled veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom and their families rebuild their lives. The all-expenses-paid event, which concluded Dec. 17, offered the servicemembers and their families the same support as its predecessors, according to a Coalition to Salue America's Heroes spokesperson.
Those attending enjoyed four days of much-needed rest and relaxation, as well as access to training and counseling in areas relevant to their lives after returning from combat, the spokesperson said.
Speakers included one of the country's foremost experts on post-traumatic stress disorder, a certified sex educator, and a severely Vietnam veteran who delivered an inspiring message on turning a bad experience into something good and making the most of their lives.
As a result of a servicemember's injuries, often times the spouse or loved ones must leave their jobs to become a caretaker. This loss in income, in addition to the added expenses of medication and hospital bills, is a blow to an already modest family income, the spokesperson said.
The conference offered job training and access to some of the nation's top organizations looking to hire veterans, the spokesperson said. These included the Defense Department, State Department, Merrill Lynch, Military Severely Injured Center, Northrop Grumman, General Motors, Bank of America, and Department of Veteran Affairs.
As a result of this training and two-day job fair, the spokesperson said, nearly a dozen troops and family members got job offers.
Additionally, servicemembers and their families were given access to the top resources available from the government, veteran service organizations and the private sector. They were able to voice their thanks or concerns to the people who can make a difference in their lives by participating in a panel discussion with other severely injured servicemembers, VA TRICARE, Marines for Life, Navy Safe Harbor, and the Wounded Warrior Program.
During these sessions the families gained a better understanding of the depth of services available to them, the spokesperson said, and the conference made readily accessible these resources easily accessible, which can easily be overlooked by veterans.
As much as the Road to Recovery is for the servicemembers, it is also for their loved ones. The conference provided group therapy sessions for the children, spouses, and caregivers on coping strategies, financial planning and relationships, sexuality and quality of life. There was also plenty of time for family-bonding and fun, the spokesperson said.
Families visited Walt Disney World, participating in family night events with performance painter Michael Isreal, face painting and special meetings with Disney characters.
The last night of the event, a special banquet and tribute was held to thank those men and women who sacrificed for their country, and to thank others who stepped up to help in their healing process. The coalition presented each attendee with a $500 gift check to buy holiday gifts.
The presentation was part of the second annual gift check program that the coalition implements to ensure wounded veterans and their families have a brighter holiday.
The Florida Chapter of The Einstein Foundation also presented each attending servicemember from Florida with a $10,000 check to show their gratitude "for defending the freedoms that we all hold so dear."
Actor Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band provided entertainment for the evening with a special tribute concert for the servicemembers who, with their families, danced late into the night.
Special recognition was given to those individuals, servicemembers, service organizations and corporations that stepped up in their own ways in 2006 to provide support to these wounded and disabled veterans. The coalition honored GNC, General Motors, Jackson-Hewitt, NAPE Oil and Gas, Shell Motor Oil, and KCI Research and Development with its "Home Front Hero" award for sponsoring the Road to Recovery Conference and Tribute. Sinise, the Military Severely Injured Center and Mychel Watts, a retired Marine and professional photographer, also received the award for their support of the coalition and the nation's servicemembers.
"The Coalition to Salute America's Heroes is extremely honored that our corporate sponsors ... have stepped up with donations to cover the families' expenses," said Ray Clifford, vice president of the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes. "We are already busy planning our 2007 conference and are excited to partner with other corporations looking to show their dedication, commitment and support of those severely wounded men and women that served our country."
Perhaps as important as the knowledge and support servicemembers gained at the Road to Recovery Conference and Tribute, they were allowed the chance to bond with their families and one another. Seeing that there is an enormous network of support from one another, the public and corporations was an incredible step forward in their road to recovery, the spokesperson said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice leadership; and, police and military personnel who have written books.
Air Force Leaders Explore Ways to Conserve Fuel
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 4, 2007 – Air Force leaders are looking at ways to conserve fuel without interfering with mission readiness and ongoing military operations around the world in support of the war on terror. Leaders from all the major Air Force commands met here recently to explore how to reduce fuel consumption through simulation, aircraft training, logistics efficiencies, scheduling, acquisition and technology developments and flying operation, said Col. Anne Dunlap, Air Force Conduct Air, Space and Cyber Operations core team leader at the Pentagon.
As the Department of Defense's greatest fuel consumer, the Air Force must examine every aspect of fuel consumption while maintaining its core competencies and power-projection capabilities, she said.
" The group used Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st century techniques during the event, looking at the Air Force vision for fuels efficiency, goals for air operations and barriers to success to build a game plan for how to best conserve fuel efficiently and effectively.
Dunlap said AFSO 21, which standardizes work practices to eliminate waste, works best when used continually to improve processes.
"Certainly, Air Force fuel conservation awareness must filter down to the lowest organizational level," Dunlap said, "and become part of every airman's daily activities."
All airmen are encouraged to submit their ideas for conserving fuel by email to afa35.casco@pentagon.af.mil, she said..
"The team's vision states it best:aircraft are extremely expensive to operate," Dunlap said. "Fuel is a vital national resource and the Air Force is committed to save every ounce without degrading overall effectiveness or readiness."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice leadership; and, police and military personnel who have written books.
Jan. 4, 2007 – Air Force leaders are looking at ways to conserve fuel without interfering with mission readiness and ongoing military operations around the world in support of the war on terror. Leaders from all the major Air Force commands met here recently to explore how to reduce fuel consumption through simulation, aircraft training, logistics efficiencies, scheduling, acquisition and technology developments and flying operation, said Col. Anne Dunlap, Air Force Conduct Air, Space and Cyber Operations core team leader at the Pentagon.
As the Department of Defense's greatest fuel consumer, the Air Force must examine every aspect of fuel consumption while maintaining its core competencies and power-projection capabilities, she said.
" The group used Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st century techniques during the event, looking at the Air Force vision for fuels efficiency, goals for air operations and barriers to success to build a game plan for how to best conserve fuel efficiently and effectively.
Dunlap said AFSO 21, which standardizes work practices to eliminate waste, works best when used continually to improve processes.
"Certainly, Air Force fuel conservation awareness must filter down to the lowest organizational level," Dunlap said, "and become part of every airman's daily activities."
All airmen are encouraged to submit their ideas for conserving fuel by email to afa35.casco@pentagon.af.mil, she said..
"The team's vision states it best:aircraft are extremely expensive to operate," Dunlap said. "Fuel is a vital national resource and the Air Force is committed to save every ounce without degrading overall effectiveness or readiness."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice leadership; and, police and military personnel who have written books.
NORAD, NORTHCOM Trace Space Junk to Soviet Rocket
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 4, 2007 – That bright flash that fell from space early today over Wyoming wasn't a bird, a plane or a superhero, but a Russian SL-4 rocket body reentering the earth's atmosphere, officials at North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command confirmed today. The spacecraft launch stage came back into our atmosphere over Wyoming through Colorado earlier this morning, Air Force Capt. Elena O'Brien, a NORAD and NORTHCOM spokesperson, told American Forces Press Service.
"This is really not an unusual event; it happens all the time," O'Brien said. "What's unusual is that it happened where people can see it. Because so much of the earth is water, most of it ends up in the ocean."
The 1st Space Control Squadron at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station in Colorado Springs, Colo., tracked the reentry from a Dec. 27 launch, she said. The squadron tracks millions of items orbiting the earth every day.
NORTHCOM and NORAD are still gathering information about the number and exact size of the incoming debris, but O'Brien said it is relatively small because larger pieces usually break up during reentry.
All pieces of the rocket have now reentered the earth's atmosphere, and most of the debris is expected to have fallen in Southwestern Colorado and Northwestern New Mexico, officials said.
They emphasized that no damage has been reported, and the debris is not believed to be hazardous. However, they encourage anyone who believes they may know the location of a piece from this rocket to exercise caution and inform local authorities immediately for potential recovery operations.
The biggest concern, O'Brien said, is that the debris is still hot, because the tremendous friction caused during reentry causes it to heat to thousands of degrees centigrade.
The NORAD-USNORTHCOM Command Center informed the National Guard Bureau and Department of Homeland Security so they are prepared to respond, if necessary.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice leadership; and, police and military personnel who have written books.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 4, 2007 – That bright flash that fell from space early today over Wyoming wasn't a bird, a plane or a superhero, but a Russian SL-4 rocket body reentering the earth's atmosphere, officials at North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command confirmed today. The spacecraft launch stage came back into our atmosphere over Wyoming through Colorado earlier this morning, Air Force Capt. Elena O'Brien, a NORAD and NORTHCOM spokesperson, told American Forces Press Service.
"This is really not an unusual event; it happens all the time," O'Brien said. "What's unusual is that it happened where people can see it. Because so much of the earth is water, most of it ends up in the ocean."
The 1st Space Control Squadron at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station in Colorado Springs, Colo., tracked the reentry from a Dec. 27 launch, she said. The squadron tracks millions of items orbiting the earth every day.
NORTHCOM and NORAD are still gathering information about the number and exact size of the incoming debris, but O'Brien said it is relatively small because larger pieces usually break up during reentry.
All pieces of the rocket have now reentered the earth's atmosphere, and most of the debris is expected to have fallen in Southwestern Colorado and Northwestern New Mexico, officials said.
They emphasized that no damage has been reported, and the debris is not believed to be hazardous. However, they encourage anyone who believes they may know the location of a piece from this rocket to exercise caution and inform local authorities immediately for potential recovery operations.
The biggest concern, O'Brien said, is that the debris is still hot, because the tremendous friction caused during reentry causes it to heat to thousands of degrees centigrade.
The NORAD-USNORTHCOM Command Center informed the National Guard Bureau and Department of Homeland Security so they are prepared to respond, if necessary.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice leadership; and, police and military personnel who have written books.
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