By Sgt. 1st Class Gail Braymen, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 23, 2007 – Air Force Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr. became the 20th commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and the third commander of U.S. Northern Command in a ceremony here today. Defending the homeland and providing defense support of civil authorities are top priorities for NORAD and NORTHCOM, the new commander said.
"We're engaged in a long struggle against violent extremists that seek to exploit any seams in our armor," Renuart said. "Our job ... is to mend those seams, to strengthen the shield."
Renuart assumed command from Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating, who is scheduled to assume command of U.S. Pacific Command on March 26 in Hawaii.
NORAD and NORTHCOM "have quietly and professionally conducted a mission that, by its nature, cannot fail," Renuart said. "It also has to be something that is invisible and transparent to our nation."
Renuart credited the close partnership of the United States and Canada with making NORAD effective.
"We consider our shared and peaceful border a perfect metaphor for the relationship of two distinct, yet joined, partners," he said, adding that NORAD and NORTHCOM share an "ever-progressive" and "continually evolving" relationship with Mexico.
"The collaboration ... with both these nations really does reinforce the security of our homeland," Renuart said.
Before presiding over the NORAD change of command, Canadian Chief of Defense Staff Gen. Rick Hillier awarded Keating the Canadian Meritorious Service Cross.
"No two sovereign nations in the world, except for Canada and the United States, have such a unique command structure," Hillier said. NORAD's and NORTHCOM's partnership with and assistance in standing up Canada Command "has enhanced the security of both our countries," he added.
During Keating's tenure, NORAD and NORTHCOM began the process of integrating into a single command center "to serve two nations better," Hillier said. "We fully support that, ... and our shoulder is behind anything that gives us efficacy and efficiency whilst continuing to give us a powerful and positive effect."
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates awarded Keating the Defense Distinguished Service Medal before presiding over the NORTHCOM change of command.
"NORTHCOM has come a long way in just a few years," Gates said. Fewer than 15 years ago, he said, the command didn't even exist and "few people were thinking seriously about the types of threats we face today."
Keating took charge of the commands two and a half years ago. "I thought I had a reasonable idea what it would be like at NORAD and at USNORTHCOM," Keating said. "I missed the mark by a wide margin. The complexity of the mission, the challenge for each and every one of the men and women who come to work here every day is massive."
NORAD is a binational command that includes both American and Canadian forces and is charged with aerospace and maritime warning for North America. NORTHCOM is responsible for homeland defense and defense support of civil authorities.
"This is a sacred mission," Renuart said, "and it's one that ... (my wife) Jill and I look forward to continuing to carry."
(Army Sgt. 1st Class Gail Braymen is assigned to NORTHCOM and NORAD Public Affairs.)
This article was sponsored by criminal justice online and military and police personnel who have authored books.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Retirement Home Chief: Resident Care 'First, Foremost' Concern
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
March 22, 2007 – Resident care is the paramount concern at the Armed Forces Retirement Home here, and allegations of poor conditions "are without merit," the facility's chief operating officer said in a statement released yesterday. Tim Cox responded to the Government Accountability Office's request that the Defense Department investigate allegations against the historic home in the heart of the nation's capital that has housed four U.S. presidents, including Abraham Lincoln.
"Because nothing is more important than the safety and health of our heroes, we take these allegations very seriously," Cox said.
Cox noted that the GAO has not conducted its own investigation into what he called "inflammatory allegations" made by unidentified critics, despite the fact that GAO inspectors recently visited the campus twice on an unrelated inquiry required by Congress.
He acknowledged that the home has experienced incidents consistent with a nursing home environment. Half its residents are over the age 80, and many are frail and suffer from chronic health conditions, he said.
The GAO said patients may be at risk due to health-care problems ranging from serious pressure sores to one case involving maggots in the wound of a resident.
Cox noted that one particularly troublesome incident, involving maggots in the leg wound of an 87-year-old resident, occurred in August.
"Our medical staff discovered it and immediately took remedial action," Cox noted. He said the fact that the resident had refused medical treatment was no excuse for the incident, and that eight health-care workers were fired after an investigation showed they had failed to meet the home's standards of care.
The home is getting a close evaluation. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Dr. William Winkenwerder sent a team of doctors on an unscheduled visit to the campus yesterday to assess conditions for themselves, Cox noted. In addition, legislative staffers are expected to visit the facility to see firsthand the care and security its staff provides. "We welcome these visits," Cox said.
More than 1,100 enlisted military veterans live at the home, which Cox said offers all the amenities of a retirement community. That's in addition to an extensive health care system, ranging from a wellness clinic for those who live independently to assisted living to long-term and hospice care.
"We are proud of our home for heroes, and put resident safety, health and security first and foremost," Cox said.
Congress consolidated the U.S. Soldiers' and Airmen's Home here with the U.S. Naval Home in Gulfport, Miss., in 1991, creating the Armed Forces Retirement Home as an independent establishment in the executive branch of the Federal government. Ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, the Gulfport campus closed in 2005. Nearly 400 residents of the Gulfport facility were relocated to the Washington campus.
This article was sponsored by criminal justice online and military and police personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
March 22, 2007 – Resident care is the paramount concern at the Armed Forces Retirement Home here, and allegations of poor conditions "are without merit," the facility's chief operating officer said in a statement released yesterday. Tim Cox responded to the Government Accountability Office's request that the Defense Department investigate allegations against the historic home in the heart of the nation's capital that has housed four U.S. presidents, including Abraham Lincoln.
"Because nothing is more important than the safety and health of our heroes, we take these allegations very seriously," Cox said.
Cox noted that the GAO has not conducted its own investigation into what he called "inflammatory allegations" made by unidentified critics, despite the fact that GAO inspectors recently visited the campus twice on an unrelated inquiry required by Congress.
He acknowledged that the home has experienced incidents consistent with a nursing home environment. Half its residents are over the age 80, and many are frail and suffer from chronic health conditions, he said.
The GAO said patients may be at risk due to health-care problems ranging from serious pressure sores to one case involving maggots in the wound of a resident.
Cox noted that one particularly troublesome incident, involving maggots in the leg wound of an 87-year-old resident, occurred in August.
"Our medical staff discovered it and immediately took remedial action," Cox noted. He said the fact that the resident had refused medical treatment was no excuse for the incident, and that eight health-care workers were fired after an investigation showed they had failed to meet the home's standards of care.
The home is getting a close evaluation. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Dr. William Winkenwerder sent a team of doctors on an unscheduled visit to the campus yesterday to assess conditions for themselves, Cox noted. In addition, legislative staffers are expected to visit the facility to see firsthand the care and security its staff provides. "We welcome these visits," Cox said.
More than 1,100 enlisted military veterans live at the home, which Cox said offers all the amenities of a retirement community. That's in addition to an extensive health care system, ranging from a wellness clinic for those who live independently to assisted living to long-term and hospice care.
"We are proud of our home for heroes, and put resident safety, health and security first and foremost," Cox said.
Congress consolidated the U.S. Soldiers' and Airmen's Home here with the U.S. Naval Home in Gulfport, Miss., in 1991, creating the Armed Forces Retirement Home as an independent establishment in the executive branch of the Federal government. Ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, the Gulfport campus closed in 2005. Nearly 400 residents of the Gulfport facility were relocated to the Washington campus.
This article was sponsored by criminal justice online and military and police personnel who have authored books.
Chinese Leaders Welcome Pace to Beijing
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
March 22, 2007 – Chinese leaders today warmly welcomed Marine Gen. Peter Pace here as he began a visit intended to expand military-to-military contacts between the United States and the world's most populous nation. "Our military, economic and political ties are important to peace in Asia and the world," Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said. "This visit is very important to the militaries of both nations. I truly believe the future is very bright for U.S.-Chinese cooperation."
Pace was beaming as his walked down the steps of his C-40B aircraft upon arrival. It is the chairman's first visit to China after many years of military service in Asia.
Chinese military leaders honored Pace with a troop review at the Defense Ministry's Bayi Building, near Tiananmen Square. His counterpart, People's Liberation Army Gen. Liang Guanglie, hosted the event and held the first meeting with the chairman. Vice Chairman of the Chinese Military Commission Gen. Cao Gangchuan held the second meeting with Pace. Finally the chairman called on Gen. Guo Boxiong, roughly the equivalent to the national security advisor, who visited Pace last year in Washington.
Pace said the meetings were candid and friendly and added that it's easy to speak with other military professionals.
The general said he stressed that cooperation between the United States and China will help bring "peace, stability and prosperity" to both countries.
Pace discussed a full range of concerns with the Chinese military leaders. The Chinese want more military-to-military contacts at the most senior levels of DoD, he said, but they also want military contacts at junior-officer levels. The exchange of young officers for professional military education is "a way for our young officers to get to know each other and understand one another," he said. "This will produce benefits for 20, 25, 30 years in the future."
Pace also discussed more maritime search-and-rescue operations with the Chinese leaders.
Pace said the Chinese brought up the situation between China and Taiwan. The chairman said he told the Chinese leaders that U.S. actions in this respect are dominated by the "'One China Policy,' the 'Three Communiques' (between the United States and China), the Taiwan Relations Act and a sincere desire to see reunification done in a peaceful manner."
Discussions included talk of the Chinese defense budget, which recently jumped almost 18 percent to about $44 billion per year. Critics in the United States see this as a sign of an aggressive China seeking hegemony first in Asia and then elsewhere in the world. Pace said he told the Chinese that he sees China building defense capacity, but that the country doesn't appear to have the intent to use the forces to attack other nations.
The chairman said the Chinese explained they are modernizing their military and trying to develop a more professional force. This requires money and, they told him, much of the increase is attributable to pay raises and personnel costs for Chinese soldiers.
Pace said he told the Chinese that no one questions the need for China to modernize its military, but that making the process more transparent would help all countries in the region and world.
Pace will continue his visit to China tomorrow
This article was sponsored by criminal justice online and military and police personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
March 22, 2007 – Chinese leaders today warmly welcomed Marine Gen. Peter Pace here as he began a visit intended to expand military-to-military contacts between the United States and the world's most populous nation. "Our military, economic and political ties are important to peace in Asia and the world," Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said. "This visit is very important to the militaries of both nations. I truly believe the future is very bright for U.S.-Chinese cooperation."
Pace was beaming as his walked down the steps of his C-40B aircraft upon arrival. It is the chairman's first visit to China after many years of military service in Asia.
Chinese military leaders honored Pace with a troop review at the Defense Ministry's Bayi Building, near Tiananmen Square. His counterpart, People's Liberation Army Gen. Liang Guanglie, hosted the event and held the first meeting with the chairman. Vice Chairman of the Chinese Military Commission Gen. Cao Gangchuan held the second meeting with Pace. Finally the chairman called on Gen. Guo Boxiong, roughly the equivalent to the national security advisor, who visited Pace last year in Washington.
Pace said the meetings were candid and friendly and added that it's easy to speak with other military professionals.
The general said he stressed that cooperation between the United States and China will help bring "peace, stability and prosperity" to both countries.
Pace discussed a full range of concerns with the Chinese military leaders. The Chinese want more military-to-military contacts at the most senior levels of DoD, he said, but they also want military contacts at junior-officer levels. The exchange of young officers for professional military education is "a way for our young officers to get to know each other and understand one another," he said. "This will produce benefits for 20, 25, 30 years in the future."
Pace also discussed more maritime search-and-rescue operations with the Chinese leaders.
Pace said the Chinese brought up the situation between China and Taiwan. The chairman said he told the Chinese leaders that U.S. actions in this respect are dominated by the "'One China Policy,' the 'Three Communiques' (between the United States and China), the Taiwan Relations Act and a sincere desire to see reunification done in a peaceful manner."
Discussions included talk of the Chinese defense budget, which recently jumped almost 18 percent to about $44 billion per year. Critics in the United States see this as a sign of an aggressive China seeking hegemony first in Asia and then elsewhere in the world. Pace said he told the Chinese that he sees China building defense capacity, but that the country doesn't appear to have the intent to use the forces to attack other nations.
The chairman said the Chinese explained they are modernizing their military and trying to develop a more professional force. This requires money and, they told him, much of the increase is attributable to pay raises and personnel costs for Chinese soldiers.
Pace said he told the Chinese that no one questions the need for China to modernize its military, but that making the process more transparent would help all countries in the region and world.
Pace will continue his visit to China tomorrow
This article was sponsored by criminal justice online and military and police personnel who have authored books.
Bush: Peace in Middle East Necessary for U.S. Security
By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service
March 22, 2007 – Peace in the Middle East is hard work, but it's necessary for U.S. security and for the development of the region, President Bush said here today. "We have a remarkable country, and we have people from different walks of life, different levels of experience, make the decision to serve America by helping a young democracy survive," Bush said after meeting with Iraq provincial reconstruction team leaders at the White House. "They understand what I understand, and that is, success in Iraq is important for the security of the United States."
Bush met with team members from the U.S. State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development, and the military. PRTs are joint civilian-military units that support local leaders and empower provincial authorities by working closely with the communities on reconstruction and other activities.
Bush thanked the team members for the sacrifices they make, and called on Congress to fully fund their efforts, along with the rest of the military. "I believe it's important for our commanders on the ground to have the flexibility necessary to make decisions to succeed," he said. "We don't want you to go into Iraq and then have unnecessary strings placed upon the money so you can't do your job."
Bush also said that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is headed to the Middle East to continue work with the Palestinians, Israelis and Arabs in seeking a solution in the region.
"This will be hard work," Bush said. "It's not easy to get all parties headed in the right direction. But it's necessary work for this country, and it's necessary for our secretary of state, with my strong approval, to be moving the process forward. And that's what she'll be doing."
This article was sponsored by criminal justice online and military and police personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
March 22, 2007 – Peace in the Middle East is hard work, but it's necessary for U.S. security and for the development of the region, President Bush said here today. "We have a remarkable country, and we have people from different walks of life, different levels of experience, make the decision to serve America by helping a young democracy survive," Bush said after meeting with Iraq provincial reconstruction team leaders at the White House. "They understand what I understand, and that is, success in Iraq is important for the security of the United States."
Bush met with team members from the U.S. State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development, and the military. PRTs are joint civilian-military units that support local leaders and empower provincial authorities by working closely with the communities on reconstruction and other activities.
Bush thanked the team members for the sacrifices they make, and called on Congress to fully fund their efforts, along with the rest of the military. "I believe it's important for our commanders on the ground to have the flexibility necessary to make decisions to succeed," he said. "We don't want you to go into Iraq and then have unnecessary strings placed upon the money so you can't do your job."
Bush also said that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is headed to the Middle East to continue work with the Palestinians, Israelis and Arabs in seeking a solution in the region.
"This will be hard work," Bush said. "It's not easy to get all parties headed in the right direction. But it's necessary work for this country, and it's necessary for our secretary of state, with my strong approval, to be moving the process forward. And that's what she'll be doing."
This article was sponsored by criminal justice online and military and police personnel who have authored books.
Military Working Dogs Keeping Troops Safe
By Spc. Chris McCann, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 22, 2007 – The terrorist is quiet during the search, letting Army Sgt. Harold Corey pat him down all along one side. But when Corey gets to his right hip, the terrorist shoves at him. It's less than a second before Wandor's huge mouthful of teeth is clamped around the terrorist's arm and Corey is out of danger, telling the dog "away!" to make him release the man's arm. It's just a simulation and a chance for Wandor to play; "the terrorist" -- actually 1st Lt. Timothy Owens, the executive officer for Company A, 210th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) -- is just trying out the "bite suit" used by dog trainers.
But even playing, Wandor, a Belgian Malinois, can take down a grown man in seconds, running at 30 miles per hour and exerting 1,400 pounds per square inch of bite pressure.
"It was really cool," said Owens, a native of Corpus Christi, Texas. "It was surprising how the dog looks so lean, but one twist, and he took me down. They're a great asset for enforcement and detection."
Corey, a native of Newport News, Va., has been working with dogs for three years with the 529th Military Police Company, based out of Heidelberg, Germany.
"I enjoy it," Corey said of the March 19 practice session, which was attended by several 210th BSB soldiers. "It's never not exciting to watch a dog take someone down."
The 2nd BCT, based here, has several attached handlers with dogs that accompany brigade missions every day.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael Hart, a native of Syracuse, N.Y., and the BCT's provost marshal, explained that most of the dogs that work with the brigade are trained to seek explosives. But they are also adept at "combat tracking." While a human usually requires hearing two shots to pinpoint the direction of origin, dogs can point to the origin after only one shot, a skill that is critical when a sniper is shooting. Once the dog finds the shooter's hiding place, he can track the person and even pick him out of a lineup.
There are also patrol narcotics dogs, used during health-and-welfare inspections of troops, and dogs trained to seek bodies, Hart said.
The dogs are well-trained and well-kept, Hart explained. "They have veterinary coverage twenty-four seven," he said. "And there's medical evacuation coverage, as well, just like there is for humans. They're out there risking their lives too; it's only fair."
The handlers know basic first aid and life-support skills for the dogs, and a veterinarian is at the helipad waiting if a dog comes in injured.
So far, Hart said, the handlers haven't needed to medically evacuate a dog. One was killed in the line of duty while searching a house; an air-conditioning unit he jumped onto had an exposed high-powered wire on it. Other than that, he explained, they have had only minor injuries, such as cut paws.
And while the handlers haven't "let slip the dogs of war" -- as in Mark Antony's famous speech in William Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" --, the animals have provided very tangible benefits for the brigade, sniffing out explosives and weaponry.
"They're a force multiplier," Corey said. "They can do the searching of five or six soldiers and do with their nose what a soldier has to do by prodding and digging. They make the job easier. Also, they're a visual deterrent; the local nationals are scared of them, so they're more cooperative."
Corey said that Wandor has found several weapons while helping on cordon-and-search missions. "He finds weapons in houses even before the homeowners turn them over to us," Corey said.
Instead of having to move everything in a house, he just sniffs around, and when he finds something, he sits. Then we just have to move one thing to get to the weapons."
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Shannon Bragg, a native of Denver, Colo., who is assigned to a San Diego-based deployable canine unit, is also attached to the 2nd BCT.
While Bragg has been working with dogs for several years, the one assigned to him now -- "Don," a German shepherd -- is fresh from school at Lackland Air Force Base, near San Antonio.
"He's a 'green' dog," Bragg explained. "His detection skills are much better than his aggression. He's got a great nose on him. But he's young, only 3, and he's still in the puppy stage."
Don showed his prowess at finding pieces of detonation cord hidden in the 210th BSB's supply yard, hunkering down as he caught a whiff of explosive and then sitting as soon as he found the source.
All of the hard training works, Corey explained, because the dogs think of the job as a game.
"A dog is like a 5-year-old child," he said. "To get a kid to do something, you make it fun."
The object of the game for Wandor -- as it is for almost every other military working dog -- is a beehive-shaped rubber toy called a "Kong." If he finds explosives, he gets to play. Corey explained that the dogs are trained to understand that finding the object of their search might take awhile, but if a mission is fruitless for too long, he's prepared with a piece of detonation cord.
"I'll hand it to someone else and ask them to hide it for me," Corey said. Wandor can then find the cord and win some quality time playing with his Kong before moving on and continuing the quest.
"I always carry training aids to refresh his interest," Corey said.
Athough it may be like a game for the dog, the perspective is different on the other side of those sharp teeth.
After being bitten through the padded bite suit, Army Chief Warrant Officer Julio Hall, a native of Grafton, N.H., and a supply systems technician with the 210th BSB, said he had more respect for the dogs' power and for the capabilities they provide against terrorists.
"The dog took me down right away," he said. "The dog itself is pretty intimidating. If I was an insurgent, I'd be petrified."
(Army Spc. Chris McCann is assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division.)
This article was sponsored by criminal justice online and military and police personnel who have authored books.
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 22, 2007 – The terrorist is quiet during the search, letting Army Sgt. Harold Corey pat him down all along one side. But when Corey gets to his right hip, the terrorist shoves at him. It's less than a second before Wandor's huge mouthful of teeth is clamped around the terrorist's arm and Corey is out of danger, telling the dog "away!" to make him release the man's arm. It's just a simulation and a chance for Wandor to play; "the terrorist" -- actually 1st Lt. Timothy Owens, the executive officer for Company A, 210th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) -- is just trying out the "bite suit" used by dog trainers.
But even playing, Wandor, a Belgian Malinois, can take down a grown man in seconds, running at 30 miles per hour and exerting 1,400 pounds per square inch of bite pressure.
"It was really cool," said Owens, a native of Corpus Christi, Texas. "It was surprising how the dog looks so lean, but one twist, and he took me down. They're a great asset for enforcement and detection."
Corey, a native of Newport News, Va., has been working with dogs for three years with the 529th Military Police Company, based out of Heidelberg, Germany.
"I enjoy it," Corey said of the March 19 practice session, which was attended by several 210th BSB soldiers. "It's never not exciting to watch a dog take someone down."
The 2nd BCT, based here, has several attached handlers with dogs that accompany brigade missions every day.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael Hart, a native of Syracuse, N.Y., and the BCT's provost marshal, explained that most of the dogs that work with the brigade are trained to seek explosives. But they are also adept at "combat tracking." While a human usually requires hearing two shots to pinpoint the direction of origin, dogs can point to the origin after only one shot, a skill that is critical when a sniper is shooting. Once the dog finds the shooter's hiding place, he can track the person and even pick him out of a lineup.
There are also patrol narcotics dogs, used during health-and-welfare inspections of troops, and dogs trained to seek bodies, Hart said.
The dogs are well-trained and well-kept, Hart explained. "They have veterinary coverage twenty-four seven," he said. "And there's medical evacuation coverage, as well, just like there is for humans. They're out there risking their lives too; it's only fair."
The handlers know basic first aid and life-support skills for the dogs, and a veterinarian is at the helipad waiting if a dog comes in injured.
So far, Hart said, the handlers haven't needed to medically evacuate a dog. One was killed in the line of duty while searching a house; an air-conditioning unit he jumped onto had an exposed high-powered wire on it. Other than that, he explained, they have had only minor injuries, such as cut paws.
And while the handlers haven't "let slip the dogs of war" -- as in Mark Antony's famous speech in William Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" --, the animals have provided very tangible benefits for the brigade, sniffing out explosives and weaponry.
"They're a force multiplier," Corey said. "They can do the searching of five or six soldiers and do with their nose what a soldier has to do by prodding and digging. They make the job easier. Also, they're a visual deterrent; the local nationals are scared of them, so they're more cooperative."
Corey said that Wandor has found several weapons while helping on cordon-and-search missions. "He finds weapons in houses even before the homeowners turn them over to us," Corey said.
Instead of having to move everything in a house, he just sniffs around, and when he finds something, he sits. Then we just have to move one thing to get to the weapons."
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Shannon Bragg, a native of Denver, Colo., who is assigned to a San Diego-based deployable canine unit, is also attached to the 2nd BCT.
While Bragg has been working with dogs for several years, the one assigned to him now -- "Don," a German shepherd -- is fresh from school at Lackland Air Force Base, near San Antonio.
"He's a 'green' dog," Bragg explained. "His detection skills are much better than his aggression. He's got a great nose on him. But he's young, only 3, and he's still in the puppy stage."
Don showed his prowess at finding pieces of detonation cord hidden in the 210th BSB's supply yard, hunkering down as he caught a whiff of explosive and then sitting as soon as he found the source.
All of the hard training works, Corey explained, because the dogs think of the job as a game.
"A dog is like a 5-year-old child," he said. "To get a kid to do something, you make it fun."
The object of the game for Wandor -- as it is for almost every other military working dog -- is a beehive-shaped rubber toy called a "Kong." If he finds explosives, he gets to play. Corey explained that the dogs are trained to understand that finding the object of their search might take awhile, but if a mission is fruitless for too long, he's prepared with a piece of detonation cord.
"I'll hand it to someone else and ask them to hide it for me," Corey said. Wandor can then find the cord and win some quality time playing with his Kong before moving on and continuing the quest.
"I always carry training aids to refresh his interest," Corey said.
Athough it may be like a game for the dog, the perspective is different on the other side of those sharp teeth.
After being bitten through the padded bite suit, Army Chief Warrant Officer Julio Hall, a native of Grafton, N.H., and a supply systems technician with the 210th BSB, said he had more respect for the dogs' power and for the capabilities they provide against terrorists.
"The dog took me down right away," he said. "The dog itself is pretty intimidating. If I was an insurgent, I'd be petrified."
(Army Spc. Chris McCann is assigned to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division.)
This article was sponsored by criminal justice online and military and police personnel who have authored books.
Mile-Long Yellow Ribbon Bound for Baghdad
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
March 22, 2007 – A mile's worth of yellow ribbon bearing the signatures of 10,000 young Americans is finally bound for Baghdad. The project has been a two-year endeavor for Matthew Cook, a California high school senior, who began with 75-foot bolts of yellow ribbon before they were sewn into a mile-long expression of gratitude. He said he started this project as a way for the youth of America to honor servicemembers who defend freedom.
"The Mile-Long Yellow Ribbon symbolizes going the extra mile, something our servicemembers do for us every day," Cook said. "The 10,000 signatures show that young Americans have a message and that is, 'We support our troops!"
This project has encouraged thought and dialogue that reinforces to young people just how precious their freedom is, he added.
"Young people need to understand that the corollary of freedom is individual responsibility," Cook said. "If our soldiers are willing to lose their lives to protect our freedom, we must be willing to live up to it."
The finished product weighs in at 460 pounds and is awaiting transport to its intended recipients: servicemembers in Iraq. That trip will begin in the near future, thanks to the Utah Army National Guard's Chief Warrant Officer 5 Paul Holton, founder of Operation Give.
Operation Give is a nonprofit organization that supports children in war-torn and natural-disaster-affected areas of the world. It's also a member of the Defense Department's America Supports You program that highlights the ways Americans and the corporate sector are supporting the nation's servicemembers.
Cook contacted Holton, also known as "Chief Wiggles," in hopes of finding help in shipping the massive show of patriotism overseas. Holton's already got the logistics worked out and is just waiting to receive the crate at his Utah warehouse.
"We're going to throw it on a container and send it (by ocean freighter)," Holton said. "It's going to Baghdad, and we've got the military kind of spun up on this so that they can ... make some type of presentation to as many (servicemembers) as possible."
Holton has served in Iraq already and knows what the ribbon will mean to the men and women who receive it. "It makes a big difference," he said. "It's just a boost if we can give them ... anything that shows we care about them and are thinking about them."
The ribbon and its 10,000 signatures will do that, Holton said. It is, however, also the ribbon's fate to end up closer to its original state -- smaller pieces, and lots of them.
"They can all cut off a piece of it, if they'd like (and) take a piece with them," Holton said. "That was the intent: ... for each (servicemember) to have a piece of it with him."
This article was sponsored by criminal justice online and military and police personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
March 22, 2007 – A mile's worth of yellow ribbon bearing the signatures of 10,000 young Americans is finally bound for Baghdad. The project has been a two-year endeavor for Matthew Cook, a California high school senior, who began with 75-foot bolts of yellow ribbon before they were sewn into a mile-long expression of gratitude. He said he started this project as a way for the youth of America to honor servicemembers who defend freedom.
"The Mile-Long Yellow Ribbon symbolizes going the extra mile, something our servicemembers do for us every day," Cook said. "The 10,000 signatures show that young Americans have a message and that is, 'We support our troops!"
This project has encouraged thought and dialogue that reinforces to young people just how precious their freedom is, he added.
"Young people need to understand that the corollary of freedom is individual responsibility," Cook said. "If our soldiers are willing to lose their lives to protect our freedom, we must be willing to live up to it."
The finished product weighs in at 460 pounds and is awaiting transport to its intended recipients: servicemembers in Iraq. That trip will begin in the near future, thanks to the Utah Army National Guard's Chief Warrant Officer 5 Paul Holton, founder of Operation Give.
Operation Give is a nonprofit organization that supports children in war-torn and natural-disaster-affected areas of the world. It's also a member of the Defense Department's America Supports You program that highlights the ways Americans and the corporate sector are supporting the nation's servicemembers.
Cook contacted Holton, also known as "Chief Wiggles," in hopes of finding help in shipping the massive show of patriotism overseas. Holton's already got the logistics worked out and is just waiting to receive the crate at his Utah warehouse.
"We're going to throw it on a container and send it (by ocean freighter)," Holton said. "It's going to Baghdad, and we've got the military kind of spun up on this so that they can ... make some type of presentation to as many (servicemembers) as possible."
Holton has served in Iraq already and knows what the ribbon will mean to the men and women who receive it. "It makes a big difference," he said. "It's just a boost if we can give them ... anything that shows we care about them and are thinking about them."
The ribbon and its 10,000 signatures will do that, Holton said. It is, however, also the ribbon's fate to end up closer to its original state -- smaller pieces, and lots of them.
"They can all cut off a piece of it, if they'd like (and) take a piece with them," Holton said. "That was the intent: ... for each (servicemember) to have a piece of it with him."
This article was sponsored by criminal justice online and military and police personnel who have authored books.
Marine Units Extended on Okinawa
American Forces Press Service
March 22, 2007 – About 1,200 Marines who deployed to Okinawa in January to serve as part of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit will remain on the Japanese island about five months longer than originally planned, Marine Corps officials said today. Instead of returning home in August, the Marines will remain in Okinawa until January to most effectively support both the plus-up of forces in Iraq and the other combatant commanders' requirements in the global war on terrorism, officials said.
The units affected are:
-- 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment; Battery E, 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment; Platoon, Company A, 3rd Amphibious Assault Battalion; and a detachment of Marine Light Attack Squadron 267, all from Camp Pendleton, Calif.;
-- 2nd Platoon, Company C, 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, from Twentynine Palms, Calif.;
-- Marine Attack Squadron 214, from Yuma, Ariz.; and
-- A detachment from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 462, from Miramar, Calif.
The 31st MEU is a composite force composed of units home-stationed in Okinawa and units home-based in the United States. The MEU Headquarters, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 265 and Combat Logistics Battalion 31 are home-stationed in Okinawa.
Elements of the 31st MEU are conducting training in the Pacific region.
Speaking in Tokyo yesterday, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that while less-than-ideal deployment and rotation timetables are sometimes necessary, the military will be able to meet any challenges it faces.
"There is no question that we would prevail against an adversary," he said. "But we would probably not be able to do it as quickly and as efficiently as our own plans call for."
Pace said people often confuse what the military would like to do with what it can do if called upon. He used Army deployments as an example. He said the Army would like to have one-year deployments followed by two years at home stations. Instead, the U.S. Army has one-year deployments with one year at home stations. "That type of rotation is not what we would like to do, but it is sustainable," he said.
The normal Marine rotation schedule is seven months of deployment followed by seven months at home stations.
(Compiled from U.S. Marine Corps and American Forces Press Service reports.)
This article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have written books.
March 22, 2007 – About 1,200 Marines who deployed to Okinawa in January to serve as part of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit will remain on the Japanese island about five months longer than originally planned, Marine Corps officials said today. Instead of returning home in August, the Marines will remain in Okinawa until January to most effectively support both the plus-up of forces in Iraq and the other combatant commanders' requirements in the global war on terrorism, officials said.
The units affected are:
-- 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment; Battery E, 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment; Platoon, Company A, 3rd Amphibious Assault Battalion; and a detachment of Marine Light Attack Squadron 267, all from Camp Pendleton, Calif.;
-- 2nd Platoon, Company C, 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, from Twentynine Palms, Calif.;
-- Marine Attack Squadron 214, from Yuma, Ariz.; and
-- A detachment from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 462, from Miramar, Calif.
The 31st MEU is a composite force composed of units home-stationed in Okinawa and units home-based in the United States. The MEU Headquarters, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 265 and Combat Logistics Battalion 31 are home-stationed in Okinawa.
Elements of the 31st MEU are conducting training in the Pacific region.
Speaking in Tokyo yesterday, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that while less-than-ideal deployment and rotation timetables are sometimes necessary, the military will be able to meet any challenges it faces.
"There is no question that we would prevail against an adversary," he said. "But we would probably not be able to do it as quickly and as efficiently as our own plans call for."
Pace said people often confuse what the military would like to do with what it can do if called upon. He used Army deployments as an example. He said the Army would like to have one-year deployments followed by two years at home stations. Instead, the U.S. Army has one-year deployments with one year at home stations. "That type of rotation is not what we would like to do, but it is sustainable," he said.
The normal Marine rotation schedule is seven months of deployment followed by seven months at home stations.
(Compiled from U.S. Marine Corps and American Forces Press Service reports.)
This article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have written books.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Groups Makes College Less Painful for Parents
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
March 21, 2007 – Parents of even young children often wonder how they'll pay for college tuition, but military service organizations are taking some uncertainty out of the equation. The Military Officers Association of America and the United Services Automobile Association both offer college savings plans to help servicemembers defray the cost of college educations long before the bill arrives in the mail.
MOAA and USAA also are members of America Supports You, a Defense Department program highlighting the ways Americans and the corporate sector are supporting the nation's servicemembers.
Both organizations offer state-sponsored 529 College Savings Plans, which are available in nearly every state.
MOAA's "Degrees of Success" plan, chosen for its low fees and expenses, has been available to all servicemembers since November, Phil Dyer, MOAA's deputy director of financial education, said. It also offers a waiver of the typical $3,000 initial fee. The waiver requires enrollment through the MOAA Web site and participation in a $50 automatic payment plan.
Dyer, who is also a certified financial planner, said the frequency of that payment is flexible.
The $3,000 waiver is automatically available to all enlisted personnel. Officers wishing to take advantage of the benefit must be MOAA members, however, Dyer said.
Investing in a 529 plan is much like investing in mutual funds, Dyer said. "Some are fixed income choices, which may return 4 percent a year, but most of them are tied to a basket of stock market mutual funds," he added.
If an investor doesn't want to play the market when it comes to paying for college, there's an option that will put minds at ease, Dyer said. "Most 529 plans will have what is called an age-weighted option, ... kind of like a fire-and-forget missile," he said. "You just pick the maturity year that you want and then they will automatically adjust the investments as you draw closer to that to make it more conservative."
The 529 plans also offer benefits beyond defraying the cost of college before the child begins classes. For instance, withdrawals used for qualified educational expenses are state and federal income tax exempt, Dyer said. Qualifying expenses include participation in accredited trade school programs, undergraduate study at two- and four-year schools, and graduate programs, Dyer added.
Owners of these savings plans -- generally parents -- are free to change the beneficiary once a year with no penalty, he said. That feature is useful if a beneficiary child, for whatever reason, doesn't use the money saved.
"If you get to the end of the line and nobody's used the money, ... you (can) take the money out for a nonqualified education expense and it's treated just like a premature (individual retirement account) distribution," Dyer said. "What that means is ... that anything you take out is going to be added to your taxable income for the year."
The money also incurs a 10 percent "non-qualifying withdrawal" tax penalty, he said.
While USAA offers a similar plan, the terms are a little different, June Walbert, a certified financial planner with USAA, said. USAA members can open an account for as little as $250 with a subsequent $50 per month contribution. The organization also offers an additional feature to help boost a 529 College Savings Plan's bottom line.
"Our program is linked with the Upromise rewards service, which means that if you register a credit card or a debit card with Upromise -- without any catches or without any fees -- if you shop and use certain products, ... then you can get Upromise rewards credited directly to your 529 College Savings Plan," she said. The Upromise program is connected with thousands of retailers and restaurants.
In addition to the 529 College Savings Plan, USAA offers another option, the Coverdell Education Savings Account. Money in a Coverdell account can be used for education beginning at the elementary level and continuing through higher education, Walbert said.
"So if the parent starts a Coverdell Education Savings Account when the kiddo is born, a few years later they can start withdrawing the money after it's had some time to percolate, if you will, in the market," she said.
The Coverdell plan has slightly different guidelines from 529 plans, she added. There is a $2,000 a year contribution limit, and there are income parameters imposed by the Internal Revenue Service. "So you can't make too much money and still qualify for the Coverdell Education Savings Account," Walbert said.
One form of college savings plan that Walbert cautions parents about is the 529 Pre-paid Tuition Plan, which is valid only in the state it's linked to. It's a little riskier, she said, and that risk has more to do with a child's choice of schools than stock market fluctuations.
"None of us know where our kids want to go to school, number one," Walbert said. "With a 529 Pre-paid Tuition Plan, (investors) are buying tuition credits for the future at today's rates, ... and the requirement is that you go to school in that state."
Article sponsored by military and police personnel who have authored books as well as criminal justice online leadership.
American Forces Press Service
March 21, 2007 – Parents of even young children often wonder how they'll pay for college tuition, but military service organizations are taking some uncertainty out of the equation. The Military Officers Association of America and the United Services Automobile Association both offer college savings plans to help servicemembers defray the cost of college educations long before the bill arrives in the mail.
MOAA and USAA also are members of America Supports You, a Defense Department program highlighting the ways Americans and the corporate sector are supporting the nation's servicemembers.
Both organizations offer state-sponsored 529 College Savings Plans, which are available in nearly every state.
MOAA's "Degrees of Success" plan, chosen for its low fees and expenses, has been available to all servicemembers since November, Phil Dyer, MOAA's deputy director of financial education, said. It also offers a waiver of the typical $3,000 initial fee. The waiver requires enrollment through the MOAA Web site and participation in a $50 automatic payment plan.
Dyer, who is also a certified financial planner, said the frequency of that payment is flexible.
The $3,000 waiver is automatically available to all enlisted personnel. Officers wishing to take advantage of the benefit must be MOAA members, however, Dyer said.
Investing in a 529 plan is much like investing in mutual funds, Dyer said. "Some are fixed income choices, which may return 4 percent a year, but most of them are tied to a basket of stock market mutual funds," he added.
If an investor doesn't want to play the market when it comes to paying for college, there's an option that will put minds at ease, Dyer said. "Most 529 plans will have what is called an age-weighted option, ... kind of like a fire-and-forget missile," he said. "You just pick the maturity year that you want and then they will automatically adjust the investments as you draw closer to that to make it more conservative."
The 529 plans also offer benefits beyond defraying the cost of college before the child begins classes. For instance, withdrawals used for qualified educational expenses are state and federal income tax exempt, Dyer said. Qualifying expenses include participation in accredited trade school programs, undergraduate study at two- and four-year schools, and graduate programs, Dyer added.
Owners of these savings plans -- generally parents -- are free to change the beneficiary once a year with no penalty, he said. That feature is useful if a beneficiary child, for whatever reason, doesn't use the money saved.
"If you get to the end of the line and nobody's used the money, ... you (can) take the money out for a nonqualified education expense and it's treated just like a premature (individual retirement account) distribution," Dyer said. "What that means is ... that anything you take out is going to be added to your taxable income for the year."
The money also incurs a 10 percent "non-qualifying withdrawal" tax penalty, he said.
While USAA offers a similar plan, the terms are a little different, June Walbert, a certified financial planner with USAA, said. USAA members can open an account for as little as $250 with a subsequent $50 per month contribution. The organization also offers an additional feature to help boost a 529 College Savings Plan's bottom line.
"Our program is linked with the Upromise rewards service, which means that if you register a credit card or a debit card with Upromise -- without any catches or without any fees -- if you shop and use certain products, ... then you can get Upromise rewards credited directly to your 529 College Savings Plan," she said. The Upromise program is connected with thousands of retailers and restaurants.
In addition to the 529 College Savings Plan, USAA offers another option, the Coverdell Education Savings Account. Money in a Coverdell account can be used for education beginning at the elementary level and continuing through higher education, Walbert said.
"So if the parent starts a Coverdell Education Savings Account when the kiddo is born, a few years later they can start withdrawing the money after it's had some time to percolate, if you will, in the market," she said.
The Coverdell plan has slightly different guidelines from 529 plans, she added. There is a $2,000 a year contribution limit, and there are income parameters imposed by the Internal Revenue Service. "So you can't make too much money and still qualify for the Coverdell Education Savings Account," Walbert said.
One form of college savings plan that Walbert cautions parents about is the 529 Pre-paid Tuition Plan, which is valid only in the state it's linked to. It's a little riskier, she said, and that risk has more to do with a child's choice of schools than stock market fluctuations.
"None of us know where our kids want to go to school, number one," Walbert said. "With a 529 Pre-paid Tuition Plan, (investors) are buying tuition credits for the future at today's rates, ... and the requirement is that you go to school in that state."
Article sponsored by military and police personnel who have authored books as well as criminal justice online leadership.
Pace Says Military Stretched but Able to Handle Any Threat
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
March 21, 2007 – The U.S. military is stretched, but it is able to do all missions the country asks of it, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here today. Marine Gen. Peter Pace said during a news roundtable with Japanese reporters that actions in Iraq and Afghanistan have stretched the U.S. military, but there is ample capability in the services to handle any mission, anywhere in the world.
Pace said he submitted his risk assessment to the U.S. Congress in January. That classified document is the chairman's evaluation of whether the U.S. military can do all the missions it might be asked to do. "What is public is that it is my assessment that we can handle any additional threat that might come our way," Pace said.
But because of operations in support of the global war on terror, the timelines that the military might need to accomplish those missions might be longer than what would be ideal. "There is no question that we would prevail against an adversary," he said. "But we would probably not be able to do it as quickly and as efficiently as our own plans call for."
Pace said that people often confuse what the military would like to do with what it can do if called upon. He used Army deployments as an example. He said the Army would like to have one-year deployments followed by two years at home stations. Instead, the U.S. Army has one-year deployments with one year at home stations. "That type of rotation is not what we would like to do, but it is sustainable," he said.
But, if called on, the military could do more, Pace said. If another threat developed, the forces already deployed would continue what they are doing, and the Air Force, Navy and reserve components would handle that new threat, the general said. "But again, because you would have to do some mobilization, the timeline would be longer than we would prefer," he said.
Pace said roughly 400,000 U.S. servicemembers are engaged in operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa and in operations in support of the war on terror in other parts of the world. With 2.4 million American in uniform, there is still "enormous power" to handle any further threat.
Article sponsored by military and police personnel who have authored books as well as criminal justice online leadership.
American Forces Press Service
March 21, 2007 – The U.S. military is stretched, but it is able to do all missions the country asks of it, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here today. Marine Gen. Peter Pace said during a news roundtable with Japanese reporters that actions in Iraq and Afghanistan have stretched the U.S. military, but there is ample capability in the services to handle any mission, anywhere in the world.
Pace said he submitted his risk assessment to the U.S. Congress in January. That classified document is the chairman's evaluation of whether the U.S. military can do all the missions it might be asked to do. "What is public is that it is my assessment that we can handle any additional threat that might come our way," Pace said.
But because of operations in support of the global war on terror, the timelines that the military might need to accomplish those missions might be longer than what would be ideal. "There is no question that we would prevail against an adversary," he said. "But we would probably not be able to do it as quickly and as efficiently as our own plans call for."
Pace said that people often confuse what the military would like to do with what it can do if called upon. He used Army deployments as an example. He said the Army would like to have one-year deployments followed by two years at home stations. Instead, the U.S. Army has one-year deployments with one year at home stations. "That type of rotation is not what we would like to do, but it is sustainable," he said.
But, if called on, the military could do more, Pace said. If another threat developed, the forces already deployed would continue what they are doing, and the Air Force, Navy and reserve components would handle that new threat, the general said. "But again, because you would have to do some mobilization, the timeline would be longer than we would prefer," he said.
Pace said roughly 400,000 U.S. servicemembers are engaged in operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa and in operations in support of the war on terror in other parts of the world. With 2.4 million American in uniform, there is still "enormous power" to handle any further threat.
Article sponsored by military and police personnel who have authored books as well as criminal justice online leadership.
Joint Chiefs Chairman Optimistic About Relations With China
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
March 21, 2007 – On the eve of his first trip to China, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today he is optimistic about relations with the world's largest communist nation. Marine Gen. Peter Pace said trade can be a way for the United States and all countries of the region to become more closely tied and to better understand one another. Pace spoke during a news conference here.
In a 39-year career, the chairman has served around the periphery of China: Vietnam, Thailand, Korea and Japan. When he started his career in 1967, the United States didn't have diplomatic relations with what was then known as "Red China." Today, the People's Republic of China is working with the United States in the Six-Party Talks on the North Korean nuclear program, China's economy is growing at 8 percent a year, and the country is the United States' largest overseas trading partner.
The trade situation is important even from a military perspective, Pace said. "The more economic ties we have with each other, the more dependent you become on each other, the more you understand each other, the less the likelihood of miscalculations or misunderstandings," he said.
Pace said part of his responsibility as the top-ranking military officer in the United States is to understand the military capacities of nations around the world and to ensure that the United States military has the capacity to adjust and prevail over any adversary. It doesn't matter what country that is, he said, but he stressed the distinction between "capacity" and "threat."
"From a purely military standpoint," he explained, "a threat is defined as a capacity coupled with intent. There are many countries around the world that have the capacity to do harm, but they don't have the intent to do harm."
Pace said he will meet with Chinese military leaders and discuss new ways to work together. He said he would like to see more maritime search-and-rescue exercises with the Chinese, something that the two countries have held in the past. He called those exercises good confidence-building measures.
The general added that he'd also like to see the contacts between China and the United States reach more ranks. For example, he said, he would like to see junior officers from the United States and China attend the same schools.
"When you get to know each other and know how each other thinks, you build trust and confidence," he said. "I'm looking for ways to respect China as a nation that deserves respect."
He said he will work with his Chinese counterpart to be "more transparent with each other."
Article sponsored by military and police personnel who have authored books as well as criminal justice online leadership.
American Forces Press Service
March 21, 2007 – On the eve of his first trip to China, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today he is optimistic about relations with the world's largest communist nation. Marine Gen. Peter Pace said trade can be a way for the United States and all countries of the region to become more closely tied and to better understand one another. Pace spoke during a news conference here.
In a 39-year career, the chairman has served around the periphery of China: Vietnam, Thailand, Korea and Japan. When he started his career in 1967, the United States didn't have diplomatic relations with what was then known as "Red China." Today, the People's Republic of China is working with the United States in the Six-Party Talks on the North Korean nuclear program, China's economy is growing at 8 percent a year, and the country is the United States' largest overseas trading partner.
The trade situation is important even from a military perspective, Pace said. "The more economic ties we have with each other, the more dependent you become on each other, the more you understand each other, the less the likelihood of miscalculations or misunderstandings," he said.
Pace said part of his responsibility as the top-ranking military officer in the United States is to understand the military capacities of nations around the world and to ensure that the United States military has the capacity to adjust and prevail over any adversary. It doesn't matter what country that is, he said, but he stressed the distinction between "capacity" and "threat."
"From a purely military standpoint," he explained, "a threat is defined as a capacity coupled with intent. There are many countries around the world that have the capacity to do harm, but they don't have the intent to do harm."
Pace said he will meet with Chinese military leaders and discuss new ways to work together. He said he would like to see more maritime search-and-rescue exercises with the Chinese, something that the two countries have held in the past. He called those exercises good confidence-building measures.
The general added that he'd also like to see the contacts between China and the United States reach more ranks. For example, he said, he would like to see junior officers from the United States and China attend the same schools.
"When you get to know each other and know how each other thinks, you build trust and confidence," he said. "I'm looking for ways to respect China as a nation that deserves respect."
He said he will work with his Chinese counterpart to be "more transparent with each other."
Article sponsored by military and police personnel who have authored books as well as criminal justice online leadership.
Gifts Boost Wounded Troops' Morale
By Carmen L. Gleason
American Forces Press Service
March 21, 2007 – When soldiers are wounded in combat, they are evacuated from the battlefield to medical centers with literally only the clothes on their backs -- and often those are cut during emergency treatment. When injured servicemembers get to a field hospital or are evacuated to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, they have no clothing or personal items. They have absolutely nothing.
The Landstuhl Hospital Care Project reaches out to these wounded warriors by providing comfort and relief items to the medical center in Germany and to field hospitals in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Fleece blankets and break-away warm-up pants are prized items used to keep patients warm while lying on litters during the often cold evacuation flights out of the war zone.
Organization founder Karen Grimord and her staff have shipped more than 14,000 pounds of sweat suits, house slippers and personal hygiene items, as well as other requested items, overseas since the group's inception in December 2004.
The Landstuhl Hospital Care Project is a member of the Defense Department's America Supports You program, which spotlights troop-support efforts and helps to connect home-front groups with servicemembers and their families at home and abroad. The group, based in Stafford, Va., has been a member since December 2006.
The organization works closely with Landstuhl's Pastoral Services Department to meet patients' individual needs. Many donations are based on requests from staff at the medical centers.
"I can't tell you how much we appreciate your excellent efforts," said a medical captain stationed in an overseas facility. "The gifts were the perfect tonic for the men and women in uniform who have suffered serious physical and mental injuries. The best medicine in the world is kindness like yours."
The organization's Web site, www.landstuhlhospitalcareproject.org, has seemingly endless postings that resonate the same message. Medical personnel are grateful to have the supplies to pass out to those who have given so much for their nation.
"Thank you so much - everything we do, it is done better because of your group," another staff member wrote. "It truly makes a difference."
One doctor shared with Grimord that even the packages of gum sent over had a positive effect on members of a unit as they stood by awaiting word on one of their injured team members.
"I passed out a bunch (of gum) to them to calm their nerves and told them that it was a gift from the folks back home that appreciated all their sacrifice and hard work," he said.
Having served overseas as a government contractor during the Bosnia conflict, Grimord has first-hand experience in what servicemembers are going through.
"I know the hardships, the sacrifices, the living conditions, the operating constraints, language barriers, countless sleepless nights, friendships made and the grief of loss," she said. "But that's not the entire answer of why I do this."
Grimord, who is a self-described Army "brat" and has six family members currently serving in the military, said her inspiration comes from more than her deep respect and gratitude for those in uniform.
"I feel it's what I have to do, what I need to do and what is a privilege for me to do," she said. "I am inspired by our military's sense of duty, their loyalty to the nation and to each other."
The organization dedicates each monthly shipment to a servicemember who has made the ultimate sacrifice for the nation. On the 8-by-11-inch address label a brief biography of a fallen troop is printed. Often these are posted in the medical facilities to honor both the troop and his or her family.
"It's a reminder that what we do is not in vain," one nurse reported. "It means a lot to the guys that are back here recovering."
Article sponsored by military and police personnel who have authored books as well as criminal justice online leadership.
American Forces Press Service
March 21, 2007 – When soldiers are wounded in combat, they are evacuated from the battlefield to medical centers with literally only the clothes on their backs -- and often those are cut during emergency treatment. When injured servicemembers get to a field hospital or are evacuated to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, they have no clothing or personal items. They have absolutely nothing.
The Landstuhl Hospital Care Project reaches out to these wounded warriors by providing comfort and relief items to the medical center in Germany and to field hospitals in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Fleece blankets and break-away warm-up pants are prized items used to keep patients warm while lying on litters during the often cold evacuation flights out of the war zone.
Organization founder Karen Grimord and her staff have shipped more than 14,000 pounds of sweat suits, house slippers and personal hygiene items, as well as other requested items, overseas since the group's inception in December 2004.
The Landstuhl Hospital Care Project is a member of the Defense Department's America Supports You program, which spotlights troop-support efforts and helps to connect home-front groups with servicemembers and their families at home and abroad. The group, based in Stafford, Va., has been a member since December 2006.
The organization works closely with Landstuhl's Pastoral Services Department to meet patients' individual needs. Many donations are based on requests from staff at the medical centers.
"I can't tell you how much we appreciate your excellent efforts," said a medical captain stationed in an overseas facility. "The gifts were the perfect tonic for the men and women in uniform who have suffered serious physical and mental injuries. The best medicine in the world is kindness like yours."
The organization's Web site, www.landstuhlhospitalcareproject.org, has seemingly endless postings that resonate the same message. Medical personnel are grateful to have the supplies to pass out to those who have given so much for their nation.
"Thank you so much - everything we do, it is done better because of your group," another staff member wrote. "It truly makes a difference."
One doctor shared with Grimord that even the packages of gum sent over had a positive effect on members of a unit as they stood by awaiting word on one of their injured team members.
"I passed out a bunch (of gum) to them to calm their nerves and told them that it was a gift from the folks back home that appreciated all their sacrifice and hard work," he said.
Having served overseas as a government contractor during the Bosnia conflict, Grimord has first-hand experience in what servicemembers are going through.
"I know the hardships, the sacrifices, the living conditions, the operating constraints, language barriers, countless sleepless nights, friendships made and the grief of loss," she said. "But that's not the entire answer of why I do this."
Grimord, who is a self-described Army "brat" and has six family members currently serving in the military, said her inspiration comes from more than her deep respect and gratitude for those in uniform.
"I feel it's what I have to do, what I need to do and what is a privilege for me to do," she said. "I am inspired by our military's sense of duty, their loyalty to the nation and to each other."
The organization dedicates each monthly shipment to a servicemember who has made the ultimate sacrifice for the nation. On the 8-by-11-inch address label a brief biography of a fallen troop is printed. Often these are posted in the medical facilities to honor both the troop and his or her family.
"It's a reminder that what we do is not in vain," one nurse reported. "It means a lot to the guys that are back here recovering."
Article sponsored by military and police personnel who have authored books as well as criminal justice online leadership.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Official Defends BRAC Funding Request on Hill
By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service
March 21, 2007 – The latest round of the Base Realignment and Closure process is the most extensive, transformational round the nation has ever seen, and will require full funding to implement, a senior Defense Department official said here yesterday.
Philip W. Grone, deputy undersecretary of defense for installations and environment, told a House Appropriations Committee panel that this round of BRAC involves 24 major base closures, 24 major realignments, more than 760 other discrete actions, and supports the repositioning of U.S. forces worldwide.
Calling it "a fairly extensive and important BRAC round," Grone said the question of cost is "a critically important one."
DoD asked for $8.2 billion for BRAC implementation in its fiscal 2008 budget request. This bumps the estimated five-year cost for BRAC implementation up to $30.8 billion, a more than 60 percent increase from last year's estimate of $18.3 billion.
One of the reasons for the increase is that this BRAC round is 75 percent military construction, Grone said. The construction costs inflate as the program goes from analysis into implementation, he explained. Also, he said, additional requirements have surfaced, such as the Army's need to improve quality of life for soldiers and families, and additional training ranges.
Included in the BRAC recommendations is the decision to close Walter Reed Army Medical Center and consolidate it with the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Recently publicized problems with outpatient care and bureaucracy for wounded troops at Walter Reed have sparked some debate about whether that decision should be overturned and Walter Reed should remain open.
In the budget request, about $481 million is allocated for the construction at Bethesda and a new hospital at Fort Belvoir, Va., Grone said. Keeping Walter Reed open would save that money initially, but would have a negative long-term effect on the estimated savings the consolidation would have, he said.
"The recommendation is estimated to save $170 million annually," Grone said. "So if we were to keep in the status-quo environment, we would forego savings that could be better put back into the mission that we know are being inefficiently expended today in the management of the entirety of the catchment area."
Grone noted that this BRAC round allowed DoD officials to think about positioning forces where they would best fit, as opposed to where there was room. Also, he said, it allowed a comprehensive look at force structure from a joint perspective.
"Forty percent of the recommendations we will carry out affect more than one component," he said. "And that's not just a question of whether it affects the active Army and the Army Reserve. It's a question of whether it affects the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Marine Corps, defense agencies, missions that are complex, missions that are truly joint."
Article sponsored by military and police personnel who have authored books as well as criminal justice online leadership.
American Forces Press Service
March 21, 2007 – The latest round of the Base Realignment and Closure process is the most extensive, transformational round the nation has ever seen, and will require full funding to implement, a senior Defense Department official said here yesterday.
Philip W. Grone, deputy undersecretary of defense for installations and environment, told a House Appropriations Committee panel that this round of BRAC involves 24 major base closures, 24 major realignments, more than 760 other discrete actions, and supports the repositioning of U.S. forces worldwide.
Calling it "a fairly extensive and important BRAC round," Grone said the question of cost is "a critically important one."
DoD asked for $8.2 billion for BRAC implementation in its fiscal 2008 budget request. This bumps the estimated five-year cost for BRAC implementation up to $30.8 billion, a more than 60 percent increase from last year's estimate of $18.3 billion.
One of the reasons for the increase is that this BRAC round is 75 percent military construction, Grone said. The construction costs inflate as the program goes from analysis into implementation, he explained. Also, he said, additional requirements have surfaced, such as the Army's need to improve quality of life for soldiers and families, and additional training ranges.
Included in the BRAC recommendations is the decision to close Walter Reed Army Medical Center and consolidate it with the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Recently publicized problems with outpatient care and bureaucracy for wounded troops at Walter Reed have sparked some debate about whether that decision should be overturned and Walter Reed should remain open.
In the budget request, about $481 million is allocated for the construction at Bethesda and a new hospital at Fort Belvoir, Va., Grone said. Keeping Walter Reed open would save that money initially, but would have a negative long-term effect on the estimated savings the consolidation would have, he said.
"The recommendation is estimated to save $170 million annually," Grone said. "So if we were to keep in the status-quo environment, we would forego savings that could be better put back into the mission that we know are being inefficiently expended today in the management of the entirety of the catchment area."
Grone noted that this BRAC round allowed DoD officials to think about positioning forces where they would best fit, as opposed to where there was room. Also, he said, it allowed a comprehensive look at force structure from a joint perspective.
"Forty percent of the recommendations we will carry out affect more than one component," he said. "And that's not just a question of whether it affects the active Army and the Army Reserve. It's a question of whether it affects the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Marine Corps, defense agencies, missions that are complex, missions that are truly joint."
Article sponsored by military and police personnel who have authored books as well as criminal justice online leadership.
STRATCOM Commander: Safe, Reliable Deterrence Critical to Defense
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
March 21, 2007 – As the United States works to reduce its nuclear weapons stockpile, it must ensure it has enough safe, reliable weapons -- both nuclear and conventional -- to deter against the threats it faces, the commander of U.S. Strategic Command told the House Armed Services Committee today. Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright joined the commanders of U.S. Northern Command, U.S. Transportation Command and U.S. Southern Command during a hearing on the fiscal 2008 National Defense Authorization Budget request.
The threats facing the United States -- whether from conventional nation-states, rogue states, extremists, or even cyber-terrorists -- are broader than ever before, he noted. That's driven the entire military, including STRATCOM, in an effort to "define a deterrent strategy for the 21st century and the capabilities necessary to lend credibility to that deterrent," he said.
Cartwright reported solid strides toward meeting objectives of the Moscow Treaty, which sets limits in both the U.S. and Russian active nuclear stockpiles. Both counties are ahead of the schedule leading to 2012 in drawing down their stocks, he said.
The U.S. goal, Cartwright said, is to have the "lowest number of nuclear weapons for national security."
But while moving forward to carry out mandates of the Moscow Treaty, "we need to increase our other capabilities as alternatives and replacements for the drawdown of the nuclear weapons that we have in our stockpile," Cartwright told the committee.
The current stockpile is being refurbished "to ensure the weapons that we have are the safest they can be for the people who use them and handle them, that they are as secure as modern technology will allow us to make them, and that they are reliable," he said.
He cited progress under way in developing a reliable replacement warhead to sustain the country's nuclear weapons stockpile for the long term without underground nuclear testing. Cartwright has described that system, now entering its second study phase, as a key component in transforming the aging Cold War nuclear weapons stockpile.
A key feature, he said, is that the reliable replacement warhead requires no new delivery vehicle.
"This is taking my 1966 Mustang and making sure that it has got four-wheel disc brakes, it's got seat belts, it's got all of the things that it ought to have to be responsible, to maintain control over and be able to use and develop these weapons in a safe, secure way," he explained. "That is our intention with the reliable replacement warhead."
Once fielded, the system will ensure the United States can respond to both technological and political surprise while reducing its current stockpile of nuclear warheads, Cartwright said.
The general cited a gap in existing defense capabilities that weigh heavily on a nuclear response.
"Today, if something happens quickly and we need to respond quickly, the only choice we have in a global capability is a nuclear weapon," he said. "That is unacceptable for the range of threats we are going to face in the future. We need a conventional capability (more appropriate to other scenarios)."
Another factor in a credible defense is a balanced offense-defense capability, he said. "Offense is not always the right answer, and it is usually where you don't want to end up," Cartwright said. "What we want to be able to do is to drive this to a nonconfrontational issue."
A defensive capability gives the United States the ability to defuse threats before they escalate, he said.
Cartwright pointed to proliferation of short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, noting that the country must be able to discourage adversaries from using them. "How do you make the governments who have them think twice about using them ... and about the effect they are doing to have?" he said.
Similarly, the United States must be ready to deal with the proliferation of cruise missiles, particularly in light of their increased sophistication. Cartwright said STRATCOM is convinced the best defense isn't a system dedicated specifically to cruise missiles.
"You want to leverage the lessons that we've learned and the capabilities in command and control and sensor management that we've learned in ballistic missiles and apply that to cruise missiles rather than building a separate system," he said. "And that is the path that we are on."
Article sponsored by military and police personnel who have authored books as well as criminal justice online leadership.
American Forces Press Service
March 21, 2007 – As the United States works to reduce its nuclear weapons stockpile, it must ensure it has enough safe, reliable weapons -- both nuclear and conventional -- to deter against the threats it faces, the commander of U.S. Strategic Command told the House Armed Services Committee today. Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright joined the commanders of U.S. Northern Command, U.S. Transportation Command and U.S. Southern Command during a hearing on the fiscal 2008 National Defense Authorization Budget request.
The threats facing the United States -- whether from conventional nation-states, rogue states, extremists, or even cyber-terrorists -- are broader than ever before, he noted. That's driven the entire military, including STRATCOM, in an effort to "define a deterrent strategy for the 21st century and the capabilities necessary to lend credibility to that deterrent," he said.
Cartwright reported solid strides toward meeting objectives of the Moscow Treaty, which sets limits in both the U.S. and Russian active nuclear stockpiles. Both counties are ahead of the schedule leading to 2012 in drawing down their stocks, he said.
The U.S. goal, Cartwright said, is to have the "lowest number of nuclear weapons for national security."
But while moving forward to carry out mandates of the Moscow Treaty, "we need to increase our other capabilities as alternatives and replacements for the drawdown of the nuclear weapons that we have in our stockpile," Cartwright told the committee.
The current stockpile is being refurbished "to ensure the weapons that we have are the safest they can be for the people who use them and handle them, that they are as secure as modern technology will allow us to make them, and that they are reliable," he said.
He cited progress under way in developing a reliable replacement warhead to sustain the country's nuclear weapons stockpile for the long term without underground nuclear testing. Cartwright has described that system, now entering its second study phase, as a key component in transforming the aging Cold War nuclear weapons stockpile.
A key feature, he said, is that the reliable replacement warhead requires no new delivery vehicle.
"This is taking my 1966 Mustang and making sure that it has got four-wheel disc brakes, it's got seat belts, it's got all of the things that it ought to have to be responsible, to maintain control over and be able to use and develop these weapons in a safe, secure way," he explained. "That is our intention with the reliable replacement warhead."
Once fielded, the system will ensure the United States can respond to both technological and political surprise while reducing its current stockpile of nuclear warheads, Cartwright said.
The general cited a gap in existing defense capabilities that weigh heavily on a nuclear response.
"Today, if something happens quickly and we need to respond quickly, the only choice we have in a global capability is a nuclear weapon," he said. "That is unacceptable for the range of threats we are going to face in the future. We need a conventional capability (more appropriate to other scenarios)."
Another factor in a credible defense is a balanced offense-defense capability, he said. "Offense is not always the right answer, and it is usually where you don't want to end up," Cartwright said. "What we want to be able to do is to drive this to a nonconfrontational issue."
A defensive capability gives the United States the ability to defuse threats before they escalate, he said.
Cartwright pointed to proliferation of short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, noting that the country must be able to discourage adversaries from using them. "How do you make the governments who have them think twice about using them ... and about the effect they are doing to have?" he said.
Similarly, the United States must be ready to deal with the proliferation of cruise missiles, particularly in light of their increased sophistication. Cartwright said STRATCOM is convinced the best defense isn't a system dedicated specifically to cruise missiles.
"You want to leverage the lessons that we've learned and the capabilities in command and control and sensor management that we've learned in ballistic missiles and apply that to cruise missiles rather than building a separate system," he said. "And that is the path that we are on."
Article sponsored by military and police personnel who have authored books as well as criminal justice online leadership.
Book Gives Voice to World War II Nisei Linguists
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
March 21, 2007 – A group of Japanese-Americans who served as interpreters and interrogators helped America "fight smart" during World War II, a top military historian said today. A new 514-page book, "Nisei Linguists: Japanese Americans in the Military Intelligence Service During WWII," by James C. McNaughton, command historian for U.S. European Command, is the culmination of two senators' efforts.
Both of Hawaii's U.S. senators -- Daniel K. Akaka and fellow World War II veteran Daniel K. Inouye -- championed the Army-endorsed project to recognize the roughly 6,000 Nisei linguists who served and the Military Intelligence Service that trained them.
"I am delighted this project is finally done," Akaka said during a Senate speech here March 19. "For decades after their service, a complete documentation of their exemplary deeds was sorely lacking. Now the heroic work of these translators ... will forever be remembered and honored by future generations."
McNaughton said his book sheds light on what he called an "undiscovered little niche" of history.
"I was pretty familiar with the official historical literature of the Second World War, and there was virtually no mention of them," McNaughton said here during an interview. "Once I got to meet some of these veterans and started doing oral history interviews, (I realized) they're great guys with wonderful stories."
When the U.S. military began conscripting young men for armed service, McNaughton explained, the Army drafted several thousand Japanese-American men, "so when the war broke out, the Army had a pool of potential linguists."
"In 1943, the Army decided to organize a segregated infantry unit called the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and then called for volunteers," he said. "Most people who know about Japanese-American history know about that, but what they don't know is that a quarter of those volunteers were siphoned off into the language training route."
This select group of Japanese-Americans learned to interrogate prisoners, intercept messages, translate captured documents and infiltrate enemy lines at the Military Intelligence Service's Language School near San Francisco.
McNaughton's favorite anecdote, he said, is about a begrudging MIS graduate who tried to avoid linguistic training.
"Sgt. Hoichi Kubo was a student at the University of Hawaii when the war broke out, and he got drafted and wanted to go with the 442nd because he wanted to fight," McNaughton said. "His (Japanese) language skills were good enough that the Army pulled him out.
"He told me that he deliberately put down the wrong answer on every single question during the screening exam, but the interviewers knew he was faking it and took him (to MIS) anyway," McNaughton said. "He was really mad about that."
Kubo served four tours in Japan as a military linguist and remained there to help rebuild the country after the war ended.
One day, Kubo's diplomatic skills were tested when he discovered about 100 civilians being held hostage in a cave by four Japanese soldiers who refused to surrender, McNaughton said.
"Kubo took a .45 (caliber) pistol, tucked it into the back of his belt, stuffed some K rations in his pockets, climbed down alone into that cave and talked to the Japanese soldiers," he said. "He explained to them, 'If you want to die for the emperor, that's your business. But these women and children have no reason to die for the emperor; let them go.'"
After an hour talking with the desperate soldiers, Kubo negotiated the prisoners' release.
"One by one, the civilians crawled out of the cave," McNaughton said. "For that, (Kubo) was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, not for an act of valor on the battlefield, but for an act of valor after the battle."
Nisei linguists, McNaughton said, were the Defense Department's "first experiment" in training and using military linguists during a major conflict and the ensuing occupation.
Though their efforts in World War II have gone largely undocumented, he said, Nisei linguists played a major role. Twenty of them earned the Silver Star.
"Every battle or campaign they talked about, they would say, 'Oh yeah, we translated this document, we interrogated this prisoner, and we told the regimental commander or division commander there's going to be an attack tomorrow night,'" he said.
McNaughton said the Army-funded project gives military linguists a sense of their heritage.
"It's an honorable tradition, within all the services, going back to the Second World War," he said.
Article sponsored by military and police personnel who have authored books as well as criminal justice online leadership.
American Forces Press Service
March 21, 2007 – A group of Japanese-Americans who served as interpreters and interrogators helped America "fight smart" during World War II, a top military historian said today. A new 514-page book, "Nisei Linguists: Japanese Americans in the Military Intelligence Service During WWII," by James C. McNaughton, command historian for U.S. European Command, is the culmination of two senators' efforts.
Both of Hawaii's U.S. senators -- Daniel K. Akaka and fellow World War II veteran Daniel K. Inouye -- championed the Army-endorsed project to recognize the roughly 6,000 Nisei linguists who served and the Military Intelligence Service that trained them.
"I am delighted this project is finally done," Akaka said during a Senate speech here March 19. "For decades after their service, a complete documentation of their exemplary deeds was sorely lacking. Now the heroic work of these translators ... will forever be remembered and honored by future generations."
McNaughton said his book sheds light on what he called an "undiscovered little niche" of history.
"I was pretty familiar with the official historical literature of the Second World War, and there was virtually no mention of them," McNaughton said here during an interview. "Once I got to meet some of these veterans and started doing oral history interviews, (I realized) they're great guys with wonderful stories."
When the U.S. military began conscripting young men for armed service, McNaughton explained, the Army drafted several thousand Japanese-American men, "so when the war broke out, the Army had a pool of potential linguists."
"In 1943, the Army decided to organize a segregated infantry unit called the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and then called for volunteers," he said. "Most people who know about Japanese-American history know about that, but what they don't know is that a quarter of those volunteers were siphoned off into the language training route."
This select group of Japanese-Americans learned to interrogate prisoners, intercept messages, translate captured documents and infiltrate enemy lines at the Military Intelligence Service's Language School near San Francisco.
McNaughton's favorite anecdote, he said, is about a begrudging MIS graduate who tried to avoid linguistic training.
"Sgt. Hoichi Kubo was a student at the University of Hawaii when the war broke out, and he got drafted and wanted to go with the 442nd because he wanted to fight," McNaughton said. "His (Japanese) language skills were good enough that the Army pulled him out.
"He told me that he deliberately put down the wrong answer on every single question during the screening exam, but the interviewers knew he was faking it and took him (to MIS) anyway," McNaughton said. "He was really mad about that."
Kubo served four tours in Japan as a military linguist and remained there to help rebuild the country after the war ended.
One day, Kubo's diplomatic skills were tested when he discovered about 100 civilians being held hostage in a cave by four Japanese soldiers who refused to surrender, McNaughton said.
"Kubo took a .45 (caliber) pistol, tucked it into the back of his belt, stuffed some K rations in his pockets, climbed down alone into that cave and talked to the Japanese soldiers," he said. "He explained to them, 'If you want to die for the emperor, that's your business. But these women and children have no reason to die for the emperor; let them go.'"
After an hour talking with the desperate soldiers, Kubo negotiated the prisoners' release.
"One by one, the civilians crawled out of the cave," McNaughton said. "For that, (Kubo) was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, not for an act of valor on the battlefield, but for an act of valor after the battle."
Nisei linguists, McNaughton said, were the Defense Department's "first experiment" in training and using military linguists during a major conflict and the ensuing occupation.
Though their efforts in World War II have gone largely undocumented, he said, Nisei linguists played a major role. Twenty of them earned the Silver Star.
"Every battle or campaign they talked about, they would say, 'Oh yeah, we translated this document, we interrogated this prisoner, and we told the regimental commander or division commander there's going to be an attack tomorrow night,'" he said.
McNaughton said the Army-funded project gives military linguists a sense of their heritage.
"It's an honorable tradition, within all the services, going back to the Second World War," he said.
Article sponsored by military and police personnel who have authored books as well as criminal justice online leadership.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Senate Confirms Keating, Renuart to Key Commands
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
March 20, 2007 – The U.S. Senate confirmed the nominees to the top posts at U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Pacific Command during last night's session. The full Senate confirmed Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating as PACOM commander and Air Force Lt. Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr., to receive his fourth star and to become commander of NORTHCOM and North American Aerospace Defense Command.
Renuart, who currently serves as Gates' senior military assistant, will assume Keating's NORTHCOM post.
In announcing both officers' nominations in February, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates praised them for establishing a record of accomplishments in a variety of complex and challenging assignments. "Each has shown the requisite combination of military, diplomatic and intellectual skills to be successful in these two positions," he said.
"They both have served this country extremely well, and if confirmed, they both will continue to do so," agreed Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Keating, a native of Dayton, Ohio, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1971. Before assuming his current post in November 2004, he served as director of the Joint Staff.
Renuart entered the Air Force in 1971 following graduation from Indiana University and received his commission through Officer Training School in 1972. He was director of strategic plans and policy for the Joint Staff before becoming the defense secretary's senior military assistant in August 2006.
This article is sponsored by criminal justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
March 20, 2007 – The U.S. Senate confirmed the nominees to the top posts at U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Pacific Command during last night's session. The full Senate confirmed Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating as PACOM commander and Air Force Lt. Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr., to receive his fourth star and to become commander of NORTHCOM and North American Aerospace Defense Command.
Renuart, who currently serves as Gates' senior military assistant, will assume Keating's NORTHCOM post.
In announcing both officers' nominations in February, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates praised them for establishing a record of accomplishments in a variety of complex and challenging assignments. "Each has shown the requisite combination of military, diplomatic and intellectual skills to be successful in these two positions," he said.
"They both have served this country extremely well, and if confirmed, they both will continue to do so," agreed Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Keating, a native of Dayton, Ohio, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1971. Before assuming his current post in November 2004, he served as director of the Joint Staff.
Renuart entered the Air Force in 1971 following graduation from Indiana University and received his commission through Officer Training School in 1972. He was director of strategic plans and policy for the Joint Staff before becoming the defense secretary's senior military assistant in August 2006.
This article is sponsored by criminal justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Alabama Declares May 1 'Silver Star Day'
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
March 20, 2007 – May 1 will be "Silver Star Day" in Alabama, as Gov. Bob Riley signed a proclamation officially declaring the observance in a brief ceremony yesterday. The Silver Star Day initiative was started in November, when Silver Star Families of America drafted a resolution to create the day and sent it to every state. Alabama joins 20 states and the city of Madison, Wis., which also set aside May 1 to honor wounded servicemembers, Steve Newton, the group's founder and president said. Newton is a veteran who served in both the Navy and Marine Corps.
Silver Star Families of America is a member of the Defense Department's America Supports You program, which highlights the ways Americans and the corporate sector support the nation's servicemembers.
"I know I and the members of our group are gratified to see the wonderful patriotism and care for the wounded that these states are exhibiting by declaring May 1 Silver Star Day for the wounded," Newton said. "We have worked long and hard to make this happen, but it takes the caring of governors and the people in the states to make things work."
The group, founded in 2005, has presented hundreds of Silver Star banners to wounded servicemembers and their families. The banners, which the group is working to make a government-recognized service banner, like those of the Gold Star Mothers, serve as a reminder to everyone who sees them of individuals' sacrifices.
Alabama State Rep. Greg Wren said he introduced the legislation to ensure that the "blood sacrifice of those who were wounded while wearing the uniform of the United States" is recognized. His efforts paid off with unanimous approval in both the state's house and senate.
Wren also had a personal reason for working to have May 1 declared as Silver Star Day in Alabama. His family has a long history of military service, including his father, retired Air Force Chief Master Sgt. James Wren, he said.
After Riley singed the proclamation, Wren held a reception to honor four wounded veterans. David M. Cox, a World War II veteran; Leroy Arceneaux, a Korean War veteran; Robert Jones, a veteran of Vietnam; and Sean Phillips, a veteran of the war in Iraq, all received Silver Star banners.
"Alabama's citizens have supported our nation's military in unprecedented numbers in relation to our state's population," Wren said. "Alabamians stand for freedom and salute each person who has worn a military uniform, especially those who have been wounded or lost their life in defending the United States of America."
States observing Silver Star Day in a little over a month are planning rallies and special events, Janie Orman, Silver Star Families of America's vice president, said, adding that the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars are have been very supportive. The group's hope is that Silver Star Day will become an American tradition.
"We are asking people to visit the wounded, volunteer at a (Veterans Affairs) hospital, write cards and letters to our wounded and, of course, fly the Silver Star Banner in support," Newton said. "May we never forget the sacrifices made by so many of our kids."
This article is sponsored by criminal justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
March 20, 2007 – May 1 will be "Silver Star Day" in Alabama, as Gov. Bob Riley signed a proclamation officially declaring the observance in a brief ceremony yesterday. The Silver Star Day initiative was started in November, when Silver Star Families of America drafted a resolution to create the day and sent it to every state. Alabama joins 20 states and the city of Madison, Wis., which also set aside May 1 to honor wounded servicemembers, Steve Newton, the group's founder and president said. Newton is a veteran who served in both the Navy and Marine Corps.
Silver Star Families of America is a member of the Defense Department's America Supports You program, which highlights the ways Americans and the corporate sector support the nation's servicemembers.
"I know I and the members of our group are gratified to see the wonderful patriotism and care for the wounded that these states are exhibiting by declaring May 1 Silver Star Day for the wounded," Newton said. "We have worked long and hard to make this happen, but it takes the caring of governors and the people in the states to make things work."
The group, founded in 2005, has presented hundreds of Silver Star banners to wounded servicemembers and their families. The banners, which the group is working to make a government-recognized service banner, like those of the Gold Star Mothers, serve as a reminder to everyone who sees them of individuals' sacrifices.
Alabama State Rep. Greg Wren said he introduced the legislation to ensure that the "blood sacrifice of those who were wounded while wearing the uniform of the United States" is recognized. His efforts paid off with unanimous approval in both the state's house and senate.
Wren also had a personal reason for working to have May 1 declared as Silver Star Day in Alabama. His family has a long history of military service, including his father, retired Air Force Chief Master Sgt. James Wren, he said.
After Riley singed the proclamation, Wren held a reception to honor four wounded veterans. David M. Cox, a World War II veteran; Leroy Arceneaux, a Korean War veteran; Robert Jones, a veteran of Vietnam; and Sean Phillips, a veteran of the war in Iraq, all received Silver Star banners.
"Alabama's citizens have supported our nation's military in unprecedented numbers in relation to our state's population," Wren said. "Alabamians stand for freedom and salute each person who has worn a military uniform, especially those who have been wounded or lost their life in defending the United States of America."
States observing Silver Star Day in a little over a month are planning rallies and special events, Janie Orman, Silver Star Families of America's vice president, said, adding that the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars are have been very supportive. The group's hope is that Silver Star Day will become an American tradition.
"We are asking people to visit the wounded, volunteer at a (Veterans Affairs) hospital, write cards and letters to our wounded and, of course, fly the Silver Star Banner in support," Newton said. "May we never forget the sacrifices made by so many of our kids."
This article is sponsored by criminal justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Army Launches Wounded Warrior, Family Hotline
American Forces Press Service
March 19, 2007 – Army officials this morning launched a new hotline to help wounded warriors and their family members to get information or assistance with medical or other issues. The "Wounded Soldier and Family Hotline," 1-800-984-8523, also will help Army leaders improve services to wounded soldiers and their families, officials said.
"We have designed this call center to be able to collectively hear what the soldiers say about their health care issues, so as issues are raised, we can identify systemic faults or problematic areas and senior leaders can better allocate resources," said Maj. Gen. Sean J. Byrne, commander of U.S. Army Human Resources Command.
"It's all about serving our wounded and injured soldiers and their families," he added. "If we can find a way to improve our system, we will. It's that simple."
In a statement, Army officials acknowledged that many soldiers wounded in the global war on terror and their families are "enduring hardships in navigating through our medical care system."
"The Army is committed to providing outstanding medical care for the men and women who have volunteered to serve this great nation," officials said in the statement.
Care of wounded soldiers has been in the spotlight since a February series of articles in the Washington Post revealed shortcomings in outpatient care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, here. Since then, the hospital's commander was relieved, Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey resigned, and the service's surgeon general submitted his retirement request over the issue.
"Recent events made it clear the Army needs to revise how it meets the needs of our wounded and injured Soldiers and their families," Army officials said in yesterday's statement. "In certain cases, the soldiers' chain of command could have done a better job in helping to resolve medically related issues."
Officials stressed that the hotline is not intended to circumvent the chain of command, but is "another step in the direction of improvement."
"Wounded and injured soldiers and their families expect and deserve the very best care and leadership from America's Army," officials said. "The Army's intent is to ensure wounded and injured soldiers and their families that they receive the best medical care possible. The Army chain of command will ensure every soldier is assisted in navigating the military health care system.
The Wounded Soldier and Family Hotline can be reached from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday at 1-800-984-8523. As additional personnel are trained to receive calls and refer them to the proper organization or agency for resolution, the hotline hours of operation will expand to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, officials said.
This article is sponsored by criminal justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
March 19, 2007 – Army officials this morning launched a new hotline to help wounded warriors and their family members to get information or assistance with medical or other issues. The "Wounded Soldier and Family Hotline," 1-800-984-8523, also will help Army leaders improve services to wounded soldiers and their families, officials said.
"We have designed this call center to be able to collectively hear what the soldiers say about their health care issues, so as issues are raised, we can identify systemic faults or problematic areas and senior leaders can better allocate resources," said Maj. Gen. Sean J. Byrne, commander of U.S. Army Human Resources Command.
"It's all about serving our wounded and injured soldiers and their families," he added. "If we can find a way to improve our system, we will. It's that simple."
In a statement, Army officials acknowledged that many soldiers wounded in the global war on terror and their families are "enduring hardships in navigating through our medical care system."
"The Army is committed to providing outstanding medical care for the men and women who have volunteered to serve this great nation," officials said in the statement.
Care of wounded soldiers has been in the spotlight since a February series of articles in the Washington Post revealed shortcomings in outpatient care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, here. Since then, the hospital's commander was relieved, Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey resigned, and the service's surgeon general submitted his retirement request over the issue.
"Recent events made it clear the Army needs to revise how it meets the needs of our wounded and injured Soldiers and their families," Army officials said in yesterday's statement. "In certain cases, the soldiers' chain of command could have done a better job in helping to resolve medically related issues."
Officials stressed that the hotline is not intended to circumvent the chain of command, but is "another step in the direction of improvement."
"Wounded and injured soldiers and their families expect and deserve the very best care and leadership from America's Army," officials said. "The Army's intent is to ensure wounded and injured soldiers and their families that they receive the best medical care possible. The Army chain of command will ensure every soldier is assisted in navigating the military health care system.
The Wounded Soldier and Family Hotline can be reached from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday at 1-800-984-8523. As additional personnel are trained to receive calls and refer them to the proper organization or agency for resolution, the hotline hours of operation will expand to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, officials said.
This article is sponsored by criminal justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Company Gives Troops Break on Rent
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
March 19, 2007 – Covering the rent just got a little bit easier for military personnel in Ohio thanks to Empirian Property Management's "Service Appreciation Program." Through the company's program, military personnel and civil servants can get $50 to $100 off their rent, Julie Yesnick, a senior regional manger in Ohio, said.
"We felt that it was a good way to honor people that are serving our country," she said.
The program honors active-duty, reserve-component and retired military personnel, as well as fire and police department employees, Yesnick said.
Though the management company would eventually like to offer the program in all its markets, it selected its Ohio market to test the Service Appreciation Program. This is largely Yesnick's doing.
"I volunteered my region because I knew what it was like to be an enlisted soldier and be kind of strapped for cash and not know where the best place to live was," Yesnick, a former Ohio National Guardsman, said. "This presents a lot of options for enlisted personnel in the ... military and other hometown heroes."
Empirian has set some guidelines for the program, however, she said. Five percent of its participating properties have been reserved for renters eligible for the Service Appreciation Program. Military personnel wishing to rent under this program must be new customers and be able to provide a valid military identification card or discharge papers for veterans.
The discounted rents are fixed for the one-year lease, and start as low as $299 for a one-bedroom apartment, Yesnick said. Lease renewal rates have not been determined, however.
Since the program launched March 1, the Cleveland market has shown the most interest, she said. Reservists have rented all five apartments rented through the Service Appreciation Program.
Full details and a listing of properties eligible for the program are available at Empirian's Web site.
"What we're doing is trying to make it possible for our service personnel ... here to have the benefit of having housing that doesn't place a burden on them," Yesnick said.
Editor's Note: Military families can also avail themselves of the Defense Department's America Supports You program, which highlights home-front groups across the nation that are providing a variety of services and support to troops and their families. A listing of these groups and information about their efforts is available at www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil
This article is sponsored by criminal justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
March 19, 2007 – Covering the rent just got a little bit easier for military personnel in Ohio thanks to Empirian Property Management's "Service Appreciation Program." Through the company's program, military personnel and civil servants can get $50 to $100 off their rent, Julie Yesnick, a senior regional manger in Ohio, said.
"We felt that it was a good way to honor people that are serving our country," she said.
The program honors active-duty, reserve-component and retired military personnel, as well as fire and police department employees, Yesnick said.
Though the management company would eventually like to offer the program in all its markets, it selected its Ohio market to test the Service Appreciation Program. This is largely Yesnick's doing.
"I volunteered my region because I knew what it was like to be an enlisted soldier and be kind of strapped for cash and not know where the best place to live was," Yesnick, a former Ohio National Guardsman, said. "This presents a lot of options for enlisted personnel in the ... military and other hometown heroes."
Empirian has set some guidelines for the program, however, she said. Five percent of its participating properties have been reserved for renters eligible for the Service Appreciation Program. Military personnel wishing to rent under this program must be new customers and be able to provide a valid military identification card or discharge papers for veterans.
The discounted rents are fixed for the one-year lease, and start as low as $299 for a one-bedroom apartment, Yesnick said. Lease renewal rates have not been determined, however.
Since the program launched March 1, the Cleveland market has shown the most interest, she said. Reservists have rented all five apartments rented through the Service Appreciation Program.
Full details and a listing of properties eligible for the program are available at Empirian's Web site.
"What we're doing is trying to make it possible for our service personnel ... here to have the benefit of having housing that doesn't place a burden on them," Yesnick said.
Editor's Note: Military families can also avail themselves of the Defense Department's America Supports You program, which highlights home-front groups across the nation that are providing a variety of services and support to troops and their families. A listing of these groups and information about their efforts is available at www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil
This article is sponsored by criminal justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Pentagon Channel Documentary Focuses on Guard, Reserve Members
By David Mays
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 19, 2007 – They were once known as "weekend warriors," ordinary citizens who gave up just a little bit of their time for minimal military training and a paycheck. "What we advertised was one weekend a month, two weeks in the summer, that's all we asked," said Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz, commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve Command. "We were not going to mobilize and go to war unless the Russians came across the Fulda Gap (in Germany); ... we were going to have plenty of time before we were needed to mobilize, to train, to get organized."
That changed forever on Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorists struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and the United States launched the global war on terror. Since that war began, first in Afghanistan and later in Iraq, tens of thousands of National Guardsmen and reservists have been mobilized with lightning speed and shipped off for a year or more -- leaving behind jobs and families -- to fight battles thousands of miles from home.
The Pentagon Channel is dedicating its latest half-hour monthly documentary, "Recon," to an in-depth look at the people and the units that comprise today's reserve components. "Citizens in Service" takes a look at the history of the Guard and reserves and the gritty reality "part time" servicemembers face alongside their active-duty counterparts.
"These days, the men and women who make up our Guard and Reserve forces are more integrated into the Department of Defense missions around the world that even before," Air Force Master Sgt. Daniela Marchus, host of the documentary, said. "In fact, they're usually indistinguishable from those who've chosen the military as a full-time career. Like their active-duty counterparts, they spend more time away from home, families and friends. And they face the same dangers."
The documentary features servicemembers who have served in both active duty and reserve-component capacity and share their candid experiences from the present and the past. "You know, back then you got leftovers from the regular Army," said Sgt. Maj. Lana Labay who volunteered in Vietnam, served active duty stateside, then joined the Army Reserve. "We got the old uniforms, the old boots. It was really outdated."
"To me it was insulting," said Command Sgt. Maj. Leon Caffie, who heads the U.S. Army Reserve Command. "I came from the active component to the reserve component that was basically a social group. We had organizations that had no idea what they were doing. They were looking for 14 days annual training which in most cases was a big party."
"Remember, before Sept. 11, it was a strategic reserve," Army Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said. "The nation made a strategic decision to accept risk and not equip the Guard fully."
The documentary traces the massive call up of Guard members and reservists members during operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield in the early 1990s when American forces were assembled to force Saddam Hussein's army out of Kuwait after it invaded and tried to annex Iraq's tiny border country.
"I think Desert Storm was a test of our ability to mobilize the force and deploy it," Stultz said. "But what it did not test was our ability to sustain it."
This "Recon" shows how lessons learned from the first Gulf War and subsequent missions, such as enforcing the no-fly zones over Iraq, helped fine tune the role of the Guard and reserves as modern warfighters.
It also shows how even greater changes became necessary after the Sept. 11 attacks and looks into the future of the reserve components, including goals laid out by Defense Department leaders. "One thing the attacks made obvious was that the fight in our future would be nothing like those of the past," Marchus said.
"Citizens Who Serve" debuts Friday, March 23rd and encores throughout the month of April. It is also available via podcast and video on demand at www.PentagonChannel.mil.
This article is sponsored by criminal justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 19, 2007 – They were once known as "weekend warriors," ordinary citizens who gave up just a little bit of their time for minimal military training and a paycheck. "What we advertised was one weekend a month, two weeks in the summer, that's all we asked," said Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz, commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve Command. "We were not going to mobilize and go to war unless the Russians came across the Fulda Gap (in Germany); ... we were going to have plenty of time before we were needed to mobilize, to train, to get organized."
That changed forever on Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorists struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and the United States launched the global war on terror. Since that war began, first in Afghanistan and later in Iraq, tens of thousands of National Guardsmen and reservists have been mobilized with lightning speed and shipped off for a year or more -- leaving behind jobs and families -- to fight battles thousands of miles from home.
The Pentagon Channel is dedicating its latest half-hour monthly documentary, "Recon," to an in-depth look at the people and the units that comprise today's reserve components. "Citizens in Service" takes a look at the history of the Guard and reserves and the gritty reality "part time" servicemembers face alongside their active-duty counterparts.
"These days, the men and women who make up our Guard and Reserve forces are more integrated into the Department of Defense missions around the world that even before," Air Force Master Sgt. Daniela Marchus, host of the documentary, said. "In fact, they're usually indistinguishable from those who've chosen the military as a full-time career. Like their active-duty counterparts, they spend more time away from home, families and friends. And they face the same dangers."
The documentary features servicemembers who have served in both active duty and reserve-component capacity and share their candid experiences from the present and the past. "You know, back then you got leftovers from the regular Army," said Sgt. Maj. Lana Labay who volunteered in Vietnam, served active duty stateside, then joined the Army Reserve. "We got the old uniforms, the old boots. It was really outdated."
"To me it was insulting," said Command Sgt. Maj. Leon Caffie, who heads the U.S. Army Reserve Command. "I came from the active component to the reserve component that was basically a social group. We had organizations that had no idea what they were doing. They were looking for 14 days annual training which in most cases was a big party."
"Remember, before Sept. 11, it was a strategic reserve," Army Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said. "The nation made a strategic decision to accept risk and not equip the Guard fully."
The documentary traces the massive call up of Guard members and reservists members during operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield in the early 1990s when American forces were assembled to force Saddam Hussein's army out of Kuwait after it invaded and tried to annex Iraq's tiny border country.
"I think Desert Storm was a test of our ability to mobilize the force and deploy it," Stultz said. "But what it did not test was our ability to sustain it."
This "Recon" shows how lessons learned from the first Gulf War and subsequent missions, such as enforcing the no-fly zones over Iraq, helped fine tune the role of the Guard and reserves as modern warfighters.
It also shows how even greater changes became necessary after the Sept. 11 attacks and looks into the future of the reserve components, including goals laid out by Defense Department leaders. "One thing the attacks made obvious was that the fight in our future would be nothing like those of the past," Marchus said.
"Citizens Who Serve" debuts Friday, March 23rd and encores throughout the month of April. It is also available via podcast and video on demand at www.PentagonChannel.mil.
This article is sponsored by criminal justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
DoD Urges Education Officials to Work with Local Businesses
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
March 19, 2007 – Local education officials should seek partnerships with chambers of commerce and other business organizations to explain the financial needs of schools that serve students from military families, a senior Defense Department official said here today. "All possible partners" should be engaged when addressing the needs of schools that educate students from military families, Leslye A. Arsht, deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy, said in remarks to members of the National Military Impacted Schools Association.
Many school districts in the United States serving students from military families are eligible to receive federal payments, called impact aid, that are used to offset the potential loss of property-tax revenue. Many military families live in military-provided housing that's not subject to local property taxes, which are used to maintain schools. DoD has a separate impact aid program that augments the original federal program that was instituted in 1950.
However, community requirements for building new schools and renovating older facilities will likely become more acute in coming years as 2005 Base Realignment and Closure actions kick in, and thousands of U.S. troops and their families are redeployed from Europe to stateside locations, Arsht said.
In fact, more than 63,000 students from military families are expected to be moving to local school systems in the United States through 2011, according to DoD documents.
It's therefore prudent that local school officials and business leaders collaborate "to share innovative and successful ways to plan for quality education expansion," Arsht explained.
Arsht said "a consensus of cooperation" was reached at the conclusion of a DoD-sponsored conference on education for military-connected communities that was held in Atlanta in November.
"Despite the challenges, we believe these significant (student) relocations offer an exceptional opportunity to strengthen our working relationships with the communities and schools that are the home to our military families," Arsht said.
During visits to military communities around the country, Arsht said, she discovered schools "eager to share innovative and collaborative ways" to provide a quality education.
In addition, the U.S. Department of Education Office of Innovation and Improvement "is a valuable partner," Arsht said, that can identify educational resources in addition to impact aid.
The Department of Defense Education Activity also provides useful information and ideas to school districts that will be affected by 2005 BRAC actions or troop redeployments, Arsht said.
"We are really looking at ways to interact with you as we seek best practices," DoDEA Director Joseph D. Tafoya told he audience. For example, DoDEA is inviting Hawaiian public school teachers to attend a DoDEA-sponsored mathematics training seminar that's slated to be conducted in Honolulu this summer, Tafoya said.
The nationwide Military Impacted Schools Association also partners with DoD's America Supports You program, which is an ongoing, nationwide program connecting America's support for the troops to the men and women of the armed forces and their families.
John Deegan, MISA's chief executive officer and just-named president of the National Association of Federally Impacted Schools, MISA's umbrella organization, attended today's meeting. He said in a recent news release that MISA is proud to be a part of America Supports You.
America Supports You "continues to demonstrate the importance of the role our military families play each day to defend our nation," Deegan stated.
This article is sponsored by criminal justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
March 19, 2007 – Local education officials should seek partnerships with chambers of commerce and other business organizations to explain the financial needs of schools that serve students from military families, a senior Defense Department official said here today. "All possible partners" should be engaged when addressing the needs of schools that educate students from military families, Leslye A. Arsht, deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy, said in remarks to members of the National Military Impacted Schools Association.
Many school districts in the United States serving students from military families are eligible to receive federal payments, called impact aid, that are used to offset the potential loss of property-tax revenue. Many military families live in military-provided housing that's not subject to local property taxes, which are used to maintain schools. DoD has a separate impact aid program that augments the original federal program that was instituted in 1950.
However, community requirements for building new schools and renovating older facilities will likely become more acute in coming years as 2005 Base Realignment and Closure actions kick in, and thousands of U.S. troops and their families are redeployed from Europe to stateside locations, Arsht said.
In fact, more than 63,000 students from military families are expected to be moving to local school systems in the United States through 2011, according to DoD documents.
It's therefore prudent that local school officials and business leaders collaborate "to share innovative and successful ways to plan for quality education expansion," Arsht explained.
Arsht said "a consensus of cooperation" was reached at the conclusion of a DoD-sponsored conference on education for military-connected communities that was held in Atlanta in November.
"Despite the challenges, we believe these significant (student) relocations offer an exceptional opportunity to strengthen our working relationships with the communities and schools that are the home to our military families," Arsht said.
During visits to military communities around the country, Arsht said, she discovered schools "eager to share innovative and collaborative ways" to provide a quality education.
In addition, the U.S. Department of Education Office of Innovation and Improvement "is a valuable partner," Arsht said, that can identify educational resources in addition to impact aid.
The Department of Defense Education Activity also provides useful information and ideas to school districts that will be affected by 2005 BRAC actions or troop redeployments, Arsht said.
"We are really looking at ways to interact with you as we seek best practices," DoDEA Director Joseph D. Tafoya told he audience. For example, DoDEA is inviting Hawaiian public school teachers to attend a DoDEA-sponsored mathematics training seminar that's slated to be conducted in Honolulu this summer, Tafoya said.
The nationwide Military Impacted Schools Association also partners with DoD's America Supports You program, which is an ongoing, nationwide program connecting America's support for the troops to the men and women of the armed forces and their families.
John Deegan, MISA's chief executive officer and just-named president of the National Association of Federally Impacted Schools, MISA's umbrella organization, attended today's meeting. He said in a recent news release that MISA is proud to be a part of America Supports You.
America Supports You "continues to demonstrate the importance of the role our military families play each day to defend our nation," Deegan stated.
This article is sponsored by criminal justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
VFW Ladies Auxiliary Has Tradition of Military Support
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
March 19, 2007 – Since 1914, members of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars have supported U.S. servicemembers and their families and worked to ensure that America's military veterans are never forgotten, auxiliary officials said. Today, the auxiliary's almost 600,000 sisters, daughters, wives, mothers and grandmothers carry on that tradition, Cara Day, director of communication and publications at the organization's headquarters in Kansas City, Mo., said.
"Auxiliary members support troops in a number of ways," Day said, including the sending of care packages to overseas-deployed military members, "adoption" of military units, sponsorship of servicemember-support programs at schools, and other programs.
The group partners with America Supports You, a Defense Department-sponsored program highlighting the ways Americans are supporting the nation's servicemembers.
"Everything we do is centered on honoring our veterans and helping them in any way possible," Day said. "Being able to share with 'America Supports You' what the nearly 600,000 members of this organization do for veterans and servicemembers is just one of the many ways we hope to tell them that we're here for them."
The Ladies Auxiliary also donates money to Operation Uplink, which provides free long-distance phone cards to servicemembers serving in Afghanistan, Iraq and other locales, Day said.
The Unmet Needs program is another auxiliary-sponsored initiative, Day said, where anyone can donate money that's used to assist military families in need by providing funds for mortgage payments, medical or grocery bills, car repairs and other purposes.
The Ladies Auxiliary also encourages skilled people like mechanics, lawyers and baby sitters to donate their time to help military families whose sponsors are deployed in support of the war against terrorism, Day said.
Most auxiliary members are in their 50s and 60s and thereby old enough to remember America's participation in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Gulf War, Connie Atkinson, the auxiliary's national secretary and treasurer, said.
"It's important to support the families of veterans, whether we're at war or not at war," Atkinson said. "We are the mothers and sisters and daughters of veterans and we know what our servicemembers and their families are going through today.
"They need all the support they can get. They need to know that America cares for her veterans," she added.
This article is sponsored by criminal justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
March 19, 2007 – Since 1914, members of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars have supported U.S. servicemembers and their families and worked to ensure that America's military veterans are never forgotten, auxiliary officials said. Today, the auxiliary's almost 600,000 sisters, daughters, wives, mothers and grandmothers carry on that tradition, Cara Day, director of communication and publications at the organization's headquarters in Kansas City, Mo., said.
"Auxiliary members support troops in a number of ways," Day said, including the sending of care packages to overseas-deployed military members, "adoption" of military units, sponsorship of servicemember-support programs at schools, and other programs.
The group partners with America Supports You, a Defense Department-sponsored program highlighting the ways Americans are supporting the nation's servicemembers.
"Everything we do is centered on honoring our veterans and helping them in any way possible," Day said. "Being able to share with 'America Supports You' what the nearly 600,000 members of this organization do for veterans and servicemembers is just one of the many ways we hope to tell them that we're here for them."
The Ladies Auxiliary also donates money to Operation Uplink, which provides free long-distance phone cards to servicemembers serving in Afghanistan, Iraq and other locales, Day said.
The Unmet Needs program is another auxiliary-sponsored initiative, Day said, where anyone can donate money that's used to assist military families in need by providing funds for mortgage payments, medical or grocery bills, car repairs and other purposes.
The Ladies Auxiliary also encourages skilled people like mechanics, lawyers and baby sitters to donate their time to help military families whose sponsors are deployed in support of the war against terrorism, Day said.
Most auxiliary members are in their 50s and 60s and thereby old enough to remember America's participation in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Gulf War, Connie Atkinson, the auxiliary's national secretary and treasurer, said.
"It's important to support the families of veterans, whether we're at war or not at war," Atkinson said. "We are the mothers and sisters and daughters of veterans and we know what our servicemembers and their families are going through today.
"They need all the support they can get. They need to know that America cares for her veterans," she added.
This article is sponsored by criminal justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Gates Says Committed to Fixing Walter Reed Problems, Praises Medical Staff
By Steven Donald Smith
American Forces Press Service
March 18, 2007 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates acknowledged today on CBS's "Face the Nation" that he was "angered and offended" when he learned of problems at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, but recognizes they don't reflect on the hospital's top-notch medical staff. Gates said he learned about substandard living conditions for recovering troops at the facility in Washington Post articles and took immediate action to fix them. "I think I did something unheard of in this town," he said. "I actually thanked the reporters for bringing it to our attention."
Pentagon officials are now looking at the bureaucratic problems and the administrative issues associated with the hospital. "We're acting, the Army has an action plan for dealing with the situation with outpatients at Walter Reed. I'm getting reports on that action plans implementation every two weeks, so we're trying to stay very much on top of it," the secretary said.
"Frankly, like everybody else I was both angered and offended by the fact that we had allowed a situation to develop that made the hospital administration ... an adversary rather than an ally," he said.
The problems at Walter Reed are not a reflection on the medical staff at the hospital, he said. "The doctors and nurses and staff at Walter Reed are the best in the world," he said. "They're immensely dedicated, they're immensely talented, and we own a lot to them."
Gates said he recognizes the dedication of servicemembers throughout the military, as well as the sacrifices they and their families are making. He said he writes personal letters to each family who has lost a loved one in Iraq.
"I feel a personal responsibility for each one of these men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country," he said. "It's a small gesture to the families that I personally am involved and that I personally very much care and have great sorrow over the sacrifice that their son or daughter or husband or wife have made."
This article is sponsored by police and military personnel who have authored books as well as criminal justice online leadership.
American Forces Press Service
March 18, 2007 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates acknowledged today on CBS's "Face the Nation" that he was "angered and offended" when he learned of problems at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, but recognizes they don't reflect on the hospital's top-notch medical staff. Gates said he learned about substandard living conditions for recovering troops at the facility in Washington Post articles and took immediate action to fix them. "I think I did something unheard of in this town," he said. "I actually thanked the reporters for bringing it to our attention."
Pentagon officials are now looking at the bureaucratic problems and the administrative issues associated with the hospital. "We're acting, the Army has an action plan for dealing with the situation with outpatients at Walter Reed. I'm getting reports on that action plans implementation every two weeks, so we're trying to stay very much on top of it," the secretary said.
"Frankly, like everybody else I was both angered and offended by the fact that we had allowed a situation to develop that made the hospital administration ... an adversary rather than an ally," he said.
The problems at Walter Reed are not a reflection on the medical staff at the hospital, he said. "The doctors and nurses and staff at Walter Reed are the best in the world," he said. "They're immensely dedicated, they're immensely talented, and we own a lot to them."
Gates said he recognizes the dedication of servicemembers throughout the military, as well as the sacrifices they and their families are making. He said he writes personal letters to each family who has lost a loved one in Iraq.
"I feel a personal responsibility for each one of these men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country," he said. "It's a small gesture to the families that I personally am involved and that I personally very much care and have great sorrow over the sacrifice that their son or daughter or husband or wife have made."
This article is sponsored by police and military personnel who have authored books as well as criminal justice online leadership.
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