Marine Receives Distinguished Flying Cross at Buckingham Palace

By Gunnery Sgt. Donald E. Preston, USMC
Special to American Forces Press Service

March 23, 2007 – A U.S. Marine appeared before Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace March 21 to receive the United Kingdom's Distinguished Flying Cross for saving lives and in recognition for his bravery during combat operations in Iraq. Marine Maj. William D. Chesarek Jr., is the first U.S. servicemember to be so honored since World War II.

Assigned as an exchange officer with the Royal Air Force's 847th Naval Air Squadron, Commando Helicopter Force, based at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton in Somerset, England, the U.S. Marine flew the RAF's Lynx Mk7 helicopter -- the aircraft he used to dodge insurgent's bullets and rocket-propelled grenades.

Through flight school training at Pensacola, Fla., and Corpus Christi, Texas, he mastered the Marine Corps AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter -- a two-seater armed with Hellfire, Sidewinder and Sidearm missiles.

When he joined the RAF squadron in 2005, he traded in the Super Cobra for the Lynx.

"It's a very agile aircraft," said Chesareck, whose call sign is "Punchy." "Its maneuverability is significantly enhanced, compared to a Cobra. It's like comparing a Mustang to a Porsche. They're both great, but different." Flying the evening of June 10, 2006, Chesarek was providing radio communication relay for British ground troops conducting a company-sized search operation near Amarah, Iraq. Listening to radio transmissions, he overheard that a vehicle involved in the operation had became disabled and a crowd of insurgents was firing small arms and rocket-propelled grenades at the company.

According to his award citation, "Chesarek elected to fly low over the area in an attempt to distract the crowd and if possible, to engage the insurgents." Because the crowd was so close to the ground troops, instead of engaging his machine gun, he "opted instead to provide bold, harassing, very low level flight over the area in an attempt to disperse the crowd."

However, radio traffic from the ground told Chesarek he was now the target and was drawing small-arms fire, and that a rocket-propelled grenade had just passed the rear of his aircraft.

This was not his first time in combat. He and his wife, Christine, a U.S. Navy nurse, had served simultaneously in Operation Iraqi Freedom during the initial stages. But now in a different aircraft, with a different purpose, things were different. Last month, Chesarek's RAF commander and his crew had been shot down flying in the same type of aircraft.

"I had been in a couple of situations with troops in contact before," the 32-year-old Chesarek said. "I had a good idea of the kind of potential danger involved, but now I was listening to the individual commander on the ground. Someone was injured; what can we do?"

Using his view from above, Chesarek applied his training as an airborne forward air controller to coordinate, designate and control fixed-wing assets in conducting close air support, resulting in the dispersing the insurgents.

Chesarek made the unconventional move - what's considered an "implied mission" in military parlance -- to conduct a medical evacuation with the Lynx to help a British soldier with a life-threatening head injury. As the only aircraft available to assist, he landed the Lynx near the company in distress as his door gunner and another crew member jumped out.

"My door gunner jumped out and picked up the injured soldier and put him in the helicopter," Chesarek said. "My other crew member had to stay, or we would have been overweight to fly."

Now, nine months later, Chesarek's name echoed throughout the ballroom of Buckingham Palace as he was called before the queen to be recognized and credited for "having a pivotal role in ensuring the rapid evacuation of (a) badly injured soldier and the safe extraction of the Company."

Wearing his ceremonial uniform, Chesarek stood before the queen and hundreds in attendance, including his parents, his wife and their 2-year-old son, William. After Chesarek bowed, the custom when in front of the queen, the British monarch placed her kingdom's level-three award for gallantry in the air while on active operation against the enemy on his chest.

Chesarek reflected on his lost comrades and brothers in arms.

"I am greatly honored and would like to accept this prestigious award for 847 NAS in memory of Lt. Cmdr. Darren Chapman (Royal Navy), Capt. David Dobson (Army Air Corps), and Marine Paul Collins (Royal Marines), who were killed in action over Basrah in May 2006," Chesarek said. "The awarded actions were only possible due to the combined effort of my combat crew; Lt. David Williams (Royal Navy) and Lance Cpl. Max Carter (Royal Marines). My greatest sense of achievement that day is in knowing the ground troops all made it home."

(Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Donald E. Preston is assigned to U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Europe.)

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Circus Honors Wounded Servicemembers

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

March 23, 2007 – About than 60 wounded warriors from Walter Reed Army Medical Center here and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., spent last night clowning around at Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus's Military Appreciation Night. Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus is a corporate team member of America Supports You, the Defense Department program that highlights the ways Americans and the corporate sector are supporting the nation's military.

Army Cpl. John Callahan, a patient from Walter Reed, said he hadn't been to the circus since he was 11. "I love coming out when I get a chance. I think it's good for the morale, too."

Marine Staff Sgt. Jonathan Bryant, also a Walter Reed patient, agreed the night was about having fun, but he said the fact that the servicemembers were the guests of honor made the night even better.

"We're just glad that people recognize our service most of all," he said. "We're just glad to be here, just glad to have fun. (We want to) thank everybody for supporting us."

America Supports You home-front group Our Military Kids also attended the circus to inform circus-goers about its program. The group provides grants and scholarships to children of deployed and severely injured Reserve and National Guard military personnel to continue sports, fine arts and tutoring activities. Three of their families also were able to attend, Linda Davidson, executive director of Our Military Children, said.

"We're supporting the children of severely injured and deployed Reserve and National Guard (servicemembers), and I think when we think of circuses we think of children and we think of families," Davidson said. "We felt it was a great opportunity to showcase the Our Military Kids program."

Before the festivities officially began, Marine Corps Lt. Gen. John Sattler, director for strategic plans and policy for the Joint Staff, joked with the clowns and greeted the wounded warriors and their families. He called the circus's gesture of free tickets to the performance "a great tribute" to the servicemembers.

"I think it's great that Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey is honoring them tonight," Sattler said. "It makes the families feel good, (and) I think the rest of us who are here, it gives us kind of a warm touch in your heart to realize this kind of generosity exists."

The general's backstage experience wouldn't have been complete without photos with Army Sgt. Tom Davis and his family and, of course, Karen the elephant. Karen showed her patriotic appreciation by sporting an elephant-sized America Supports You dog tag.

Kenneth Feld, chairman and chief executive officer of Feld Entertainment, which owns the circus, said supporting the troops is a part of the circus's culture now.

"Every performance, ... before the show starts, we talk about our relationship with America Supports You," he said. "The response it generates - the applause, the support - we see that as we play in over 135 cities across America every year."

As the evening's performance began, Feld, on behalf of the circus, expressed pride in being a part of the Defense Department's program. "This is a very special night," he said. "We're excited that this is the second year of Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey's partnership with the Department of Defense America Supports You program."

Then Sattler, as the guest ringmaster, took the spotlight.

"On behalf of a grateful nation, I want to thank you and Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus for sponsoring some of our wounded warriors here at the circus," he said. "What we have with us tonight are some of the soldiers and Marines, sailors and airmen who went forward and stood on the wall and looked evil in the eye and said, 'Not on my watch!'"

After a round of applause for the servicemembers in attendance, it was all about fun for the general.

"This is the one time in my life where I get to say, 'Welcome to the Greatest Show on Earth! Ooo-Rah!'" Sattler said to open the show.

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U.S. Increases Africa Security with Proactive Stance, General Says

By Carmen L. Gleason
American Forces Press Service

March 23, 2007 – A proactive stance in Africa will help to enhance stability and deter terrorist activity in the future, the deputy commander of U.S. European Command said here yesterday. By harnessing security, humanitarian, and diplomatic elements, Army Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward said, EUCOM is working with international partners to enhance the continent's commerce, education and overall success.

"The United States is using a focused approach in what we do to help them stabilize, socially and politically," he said, "so we can have a situation that doesn't foster bad things, but a situation that causes the people there to be satisfied and provide them with a horizon of hope for the future."

Ward, who recently attended the Trans-Sahara Partnership Chiefs of Defense Conference, said Africa's leaders are grateful for outside assistance in helping to improve the economy and establish solid governance of the continent, but that the United States can't do it alone.

"If we were independent, we wouldn't be as effective," he said. "The key is reaching out to other international partners to ensure collective results and aiming for the best objective."

The Defense Department has helped meet these objectives by training and equipping peacekeepers for the State Department's Global Peace Operations Initiative. Through the Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance program, U.S. servicemembers provide training, equipment and logistical capability to meet United Nations peace operations standards.

Ward said U.S. troops are, in essence, being diplomats as they work side by side with Africans to drill wells, build schools and provide other humanitarian assistance.

"The functions of Navy Seabees and Army engineers help increase the capability of these nations by providing an example and also following up on it," Ward said. "The services our men and women are providing are critical."

DoD also is playing an increasingly proactive role through Operation Enduring Freedom Trans-Sahara while working with the State Department in a counterterrorism partnership. This groundbreaking program seeks to leverage the capabilities of those U.S. government agencies involved in building security on the Africa continent, with an emphasis on counterterrorism in North Africa.

By implementing reforms, the partnership hopes to help nations become more self-reliant in security and more stable in governance.

U.S. special operations forces are helping to train partners on how to conduct these operations. "We are watching it evolve in a positive way," Ward said. "It does matter, and it is making a difference."

EUCOM's Maritime Domain Awareness program helps to protect natural resources and achieve long-term security and stability in the Gulf of Guinea. The focus of this initiative is to prevent the region's political, economic, and social issues from becoming regional stability problems requiring international involvement.

This is increasingly important, Ward said. The military can serve as a structure to work together in more effective ways to create stability.

The general said the United States has a great opportunity in Africa today to make a small investment, economically and socially, that will provide stability and will preclude spending major resources down the road.

"The ones doing that work are the nation's young servicemembers," he said. "They are doing it day in and day out, and are doing a great job. They know they are helping bring stability and peace to these nations."

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Group Works on Behalf of Military Families

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

March 23, 2007 – Since it began in 1969 as the Military Wives Association, the National Military Family Association, with headquarters here, has been a voice for military families. The National Military Family Association is a member of America Support You, a Defense Department program highlighting the ways Americans are supporting the nation's servicemembers.

Serving all seven branches of the military, including the National Guard and Reserves, the organization initially worked to create financial security for the survivors of servicemembers and retirees. Those efforts resulted in the Survivor Benefit Plan. By 1984, however, the association had expanded.

"NMFA realized that as it grew as a professional organization, those who benefited from the work were military families, and not just military wives," Michelle Joyner, communications director for the organization, said. "As the association grows and military life changes, we understand that military families also include family members ... who aren't necessarily uniformed services ID card holders.

"All family members support the servicemember and are affected by the challenges of military life," she added.

Over the years, the association has continued to educate military families about their rights, while fighting for better quality of life for those same families, Joyner said. Some of its many accomplishments include improvements in the areas of health benefits, dependent education, retiree and survivor benefits as well as spouse employment.

With representatives in military communities worldwide, there's a direct link between the families the association serves and the central office.

The association also administers the Joanne Holbrook Patton Spouse Scholarship through its Military Spouse Scholarship Program. Ranging from $500 to $1,000, the scholarships may be used for tuition, fees and school room and board. Full details about the scholarship program are available on the association's Web site, www.nmfa.org.

Despite its workload, the National Military Family Association's paid staff is small. But the organization has a solid corps of 200 volunteers who are committed and passionate about the work they do, Joyner said. Whether paid or volunteer, most working with NMFA are military family members who have a unique understanding of the issues and can speak from experience.

"Our volunteers lead the association as board members around the world, and support military families through the events of our lives such as deployments, reunions, moves, births and deaths," she said.

Her organization's membership in America Supports You has made its job easier by providing the means to connect those in need with those who can help, Joyner said.

"(America Supports You) has allowed NMFA to reach out to the American public with information about resources such as our summer camps for military children and scholarships for military spouses," she said. "(It has enabled) many more families to benefit from these incredible programs."

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Burn Patients Tour Center for Intrepid

By Nelia Schrum
Special to American Forces Press Service

March 23, 2007 – When Army Sgt. Antonio Autrey was burned in Iraq by a blast that destroyed his Bradley fighting vehicle almost a year ago, all the former high school football receiver wanted to do was to be able to hold a football again. Now, after almost a year in recovery at the Burn Center here, the 4th Infantry Division soldier has set his sights on bench pressing, with a goal of lifting 345 pounds - something he regularly accomplished with ease before an insurgent's blast.

Touring the Center for the Intrepid here March 16 with fellow burn patients, Autrey, 26, said he hoped the new facility would help him get back in shape.

Burn patients, who receive both physical therapy and occupational therapy in the Burn Center, took an orientation tour of the Center for the Intrepid with an eye on how the rehabilitation center could help each of them once their therapists referred them for the next level of occupational and physical therapy.

To help the Center for the Intrepid with the increased patient load of Burn Center patients on their way to recovery, the Institute of Surgical Research is adding 25 staff members to work with the burn patients, including physical therapists, occupational therapist, physical therapy assistants and social workers.

Army Capt. Charles Quick, chief of occupational therapy at the Burn Center, arranged for the burn patients to have an in-depth look at the Center for the Intrepid.

"We want to give them the opportunity to restore function in all of their activities of daily living," Quick said. "This will give them opportunities to get back to the things they know and love."

He said each burn patient is evaluated weekly, and when therapists at the Burn Center identify a wounded warrior able to take on more advanced therapy, that patient would begin a course of treatment at the Center for the Intrepid. Each referred patient will be evaluated by Army Lt. Col. Jennifer Menetrez, medical director for the center, who will develop a rigorous individualized therapy plan.

Dr. Rebecca Hooper, Center for the Intrepid program manager, said the staff of the Brooke Army Medical Center's Amputee Care Center has worked with many patients who have lost limbs as a result of burn injury prior to the opening of the center.

At the Center for the Intrepid, burn patients who may not necessarily be amputees, but have functional loss in their extremities, also will be able to benefit from a variety of therapies that are provided in the new, larger space at the rehabilitation center that features new, world-class equipment.

Hooper said the Center for the Intrepid is not a gymnasium or a workout facility; it is a rehabilitation facility.

"Patients do not simply come in and work out, but are appointed for care using the BAMC outpatient appointment system," Hooper said. "All patients treated at the CFI have individually tailored treatment plans designed to help them meet their specific goals."

Many of the burn patients are looking forward to meeting their individualized goals and incorporating additional activities that will help with strengthening and endurance.

And for Army Spc. Richie Dominguez, a military policeman who suffered burns in August after an attack by a suicide truck bomber, the Center for the Intrepid's Fire Arms Training System will help him get back a critical skill.

"No other rehabilitation center in the country provides firearms training and certification," Dominguez said. "As a sSoldier and police officer, that is an important skill for me."

(Nelia Schrum is assigned to Brooke Army Medical Center Public Affairs.)

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Commission: Changes Needed to Ensure Long-Term Guard Readiness

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

March 23, 2007 – The National Guard has problems that affect its readiness, particularly at home, but fixing them requires a sweeping, intergovernmental effort, the chairman of the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves told Congress today. Retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Arnold Punaro told the House Armed Services Committee many of the problems facing the Guard boil down to the fact that it changed from a strategic to an operational force, but without the benefit of other changes needed for it to succeed.

The Guard and Reserve operated as a strategic reserve during the Cold War, intentionally kept at low manning and equipment levels because they were considered a back-up force, he said. That's dramatically different from today, he noted, when the Guard and Reserve are operational reserves, actively deploying and supporting the war on terror.

"That is a fundamental change in the nature of how the Guard and Reserve is being used," Punaro told the committee. "However, (the Department of Defense) has not changed any of the fundamentals - underlying laws, policies, rules, regulations, procedures, processes, funding priorities, personnel management systems - to make it an operational reserve."

Without those changes, he said, the operational reserve can't sustain itself for the long haul, and its capabilities will continue to deteriorate.

Punaro cited other changes needed for the Guard and Reserve to operate effectively, particularly in their ability to respond to domestic crises.

One big problem, he said, is that the agencies that would operate together in a major domestic catastrophe don't work closely enough together to prepare for one.

"These are longstanding problems that require fundamental reforms to a number of our institutions of government," Punaro said. "This is not about one individual, the chief of the (National) Guard Bureau, not about one institution, the National Guard. This is about empowering the National Guard and giving them greater authority and clout as an integrated team."

State governors also need more authority, because they would serve as commanders in chief of most domestic incidents, particularly during the first 72 hours, he said.

Empowering the National Guard and state governors would enable them to be more effective members of a team that includes DoD, U.S. Northern Command and the Department of Homeland Security, Punaro said.

"All these agencies and institutions of government must take greater responsibility for building a coherent and competent interagency process of planning, coordinating and funding for the homeland mission," he said.

Punaro's commission originally was to report on the proposed "National Guard Empowerment Act" that aimed to increase the authority of National Guard leaders. Instead, the commission broadened its report -- Strengthening America's Defenses in the New Security Environment -- to include DoD, NORTHCOM, DHS and state governors.
The broadened report will help solve problems the reserves now face, Punaro said.

The commission's final report, due to Congress in January, will provide a more comprehensive look at reserve-component mobilization, pay, employer and family support issues.

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Navy Names New Guided-Missile Destroyer USS Jason Dunham

The Department of Navy announced today that the Navy's newest Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer will be named the USS Jason Dunham, honoring Cpl. Jason L. Dunham, the first Marine awarded the Medal of Honor for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter, made the announcement in Dunham's hometown of Scio, N.Y.

"Jason Dunham, the friendly, kind-hearted, gifted athlete who followed his star in the United States Marine Corps, went on to become one of the most courageous, heroic and admired Marines this great country has ever known," said Winter. "His name will be forever associated with DDG 109. May those who serve in her always be inspired by the heroic deeds of Jason Dunham, and may all of us strive to be worthy of his sacrifice."
Dunham was born in Scio, Nov. 10, 1981, sharing the same birthday as the U.S. Marine Corps. After high school graduation, he enlisted in the Marine Corps in July 2000 and completed recruit training 13 weeks later at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Parris Island, S.C.

Following his first duty assignment with Marine Corps Security Forces, Kings Bay, Ga., Dunham transferred to the infantry and was later assigned to Company K, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, based in Twentynine Palms, Calif. Before deploying to Iraq in spring 2004, Dunham was selected to lead a rifle squad, a position that ultimately placed him on the front line in the war against the Iraqi insurgency.

On April 14, 2004, Dunham's squad was conducting a reconnaissance mission in Karabilah, Iraq, when his battalion commander's convoy was ambushed. When Dunham's squad approached to provide fire support, an Iraqi insurgent leapt out of a vehicle and attacked Dunham.

As Dunham wrestled the insurgent to the ground, he noticed that the enemy fighter had a grenade in his hand. He immediately alerted his fellow Marines, and when the enemy dropped the live grenade, Dunham took off his Kevlar helmet, covered the grenade, and threw himself on top to smother the blast. In an ultimate selfless act of courage, in which he was mortally wounded, he saved the lives of two fellow Marines.

In November 2006 at the dedication of the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Virginia, President George W. Bush announced that the Medal of Honor would be awarded posthumously to Dunham.

During his speech, President Bush said, "As long as we have Marines like Corpoal Dunham, America will never fear for her liberty." President Bush presented Dunham's family with the Medal of Honor during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on Jan. 11, 2007.

In the spirit of this Marine, the USS Jason Dunham will continue protecting America's liberty by providing a multi-mission maritime platform to lead the Navy into the future.
Utilizing a gas turbine propulsion system, the ship can operate independently or as part of carrier strike groups, surface action groups, amphibious ready groups, and underway replenishment groups. The ship's combat systems center on the Aegis combat system and the SPY-Ld (V) multifunction phased array radar.

With the combination of Aegis, the vertical launching system, an advanced anti-submarine warfare system, advanced anti-aircraft missiles and Tomahawk cruise missiles, the Arleigh Burke-class continues the revolution at sea.

For more information on Arleigh Burke class destroyers, visit http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=900&ct=4 .

For more information about the naming of DDG 109, contact the Navy Office of Information at (703) 697-5342.

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Renuart Assumes Command of NORTHCOM, NORAD

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.)

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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.

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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

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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."

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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.)

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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."

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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.)

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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."

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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.

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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."

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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."

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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."

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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."

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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.

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