by Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
May 8, 2007 – A national program is working to help make it easier for veterans to find meaningful jobs. "Hire A Hero," a program of the nonprofit California-based Armed Forces Support Foundation, can help take the frustration out of that process, Dan Caulfield, the program's executive director, said.
The program originated as a job program for National Guard members and their families. It was piloted in Georgia and Florida as a way for the National Guard to help recruit and retain members. Today, the Hire A Hero program has expanded across all branches and helps transitioning active military personnel, Guardsmen and reservists find jobs across all industries.
Unemployment among young military veterans can be up to three times as high as their civilian counterparts, he added.
"Even worse, the thing that's harder to prove is the underemployment of military veterans," he said.
There is no reason for this when the economy is dying for this type of quality work force, he added.
"They way we see it is, here are the people we've invested the most in to protect the American dream and they're not getting their fair share of the American dream," Caulfield said.
That's why the Hire A Hero program has stepped up to help veterans, like Michael Sinicrope, grab their piece of the pie.
Sinicrope, a former Marine, transitioned back into civilian life on Oct. 1 after serving his country for four years. During his service he worked as a parachute rigger and air delivery specialist.
"A few months after I transitioned out, my wife called me from work and told me about a program called Hire A Hero," he said in a letter to the organization. "In just 10 minutes I found a job that interested me, and I applied for it."
The employer, the Estancia La Jolla Resort and Spa in California, hired Sinicrope as a security agent soon after the interview.
"I believe my work ethic and everything about being a Marine has incorporated into my new job," he said. "My discipline and integrity gained while serving has also proven to be invaluable traits for what I do now."
Sinicrope said he'd recommend Hire A Hero to his fellow servicemembers preparing to re-enter civilian life. "The jobs are tailored to us, and the employers that use Hire A Hero are looking for people with military experience," he said.
The California National Guard also sees value in the program. On May 4, it signed a memorandum of understanding with Hire A Hero.
"It is important to us that our Guard members are provided with quality civilian employment opportunities," Army Maj. Gen. William H. Wade II, adjutant general of the California National Guard, said in a press release. "We have partnered with Hire A Hero to make sure that our members and their families are taken care of."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
National Guard Has Manpower, Assets Needed for Kansas Relief Effort
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
May 8, 2007 – National Guard troops responding to a tornado that devastated Greensburg, Kan., have the manpower and resources they need and can tap into additional support if they need it, defense officials said today. "If the National Guard has it, Kansas will receive it," said Army Lt. Gen. H Stephen Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau.
Some 566 members of the Kansas National Guard -- 366 Army Guard, 200 Air Guard -- are on duty, conducting search-and-rescue missions, clearing debris, helping generate power, supporting law enforcement officials, and providing other support, National Guard Bureau officials reported.
The Kansas National Guard has 88 percent of its forces available and is working quickly and aggressively to save lives and reduce suffering, Guard Bureau officials reported. More than 6,800 additional Kansas Guard troops can be tapped, if needed, as well as more than 80,000 Guardsmen from surrounding states, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters today.
Kansas Guardsmen responding to the disaster have 60 percent of their Army Guard dual-use equipment and more than 85 percent of their Air Guard equipment on hand, officials said.
Whitman reported a full range of Guard equipment on hand to support the mission. The Kansas Guard has 352 Humvees, 94 Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks, 24 medium and light tactical vehicles, 152 2.5-ton cargo trucks, 76 series 5-ton trucks, 13 M916 tractors, 870 trailers, 52 Heavy Equipment Transport Systems, and 30 Palletized Load System Trucks.
In terms of engineering assets, the Kansas Guard has all -- and in some cases more than, -- its authorized vehicles. This includes five road graders, 15 bulldozers, eight scoop loaders and 72 dump trucks, he said.
Whitman said he was unable to report which of these assets is undergoing maintenance and might not be immediately available to provide tornado relief.
Meanwhile, the National Guard Bureau is coordinating requests for additional support through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact. This national partnership agreement paves the way for states to share resources during governor- or federally declared emergencies.
"The states are poised to help one another when their own resources are overwhelmed," said Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, a Pentagon spokeswoman.
Initial out-of-state assets to be committed to the mission include six UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters for search-and-rescue operations; power generation assets to be fielded to Macksville, in Stafford County; and a deployable communications package with voice, data, video and radio interoperability.
"Saving lives and protecting property is what the American people expect the National Guard to do, and that's exactly what we are seeing take place in the wake of the Kansas tornado disaster," Krenke said.
Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius mobilized the troops after a tornado rated at F-5, the highest rating given by the National Weather Service, ripped through the state May 5.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 8, 2007 – National Guard troops responding to a tornado that devastated Greensburg, Kan., have the manpower and resources they need and can tap into additional support if they need it, defense officials said today. "If the National Guard has it, Kansas will receive it," said Army Lt. Gen. H Stephen Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau.
Some 566 members of the Kansas National Guard -- 366 Army Guard, 200 Air Guard -- are on duty, conducting search-and-rescue missions, clearing debris, helping generate power, supporting law enforcement officials, and providing other support, National Guard Bureau officials reported.
The Kansas National Guard has 88 percent of its forces available and is working quickly and aggressively to save lives and reduce suffering, Guard Bureau officials reported. More than 6,800 additional Kansas Guard troops can be tapped, if needed, as well as more than 80,000 Guardsmen from surrounding states, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters today.
Kansas Guardsmen responding to the disaster have 60 percent of their Army Guard dual-use equipment and more than 85 percent of their Air Guard equipment on hand, officials said.
Whitman reported a full range of Guard equipment on hand to support the mission. The Kansas Guard has 352 Humvees, 94 Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks, 24 medium and light tactical vehicles, 152 2.5-ton cargo trucks, 76 series 5-ton trucks, 13 M916 tractors, 870 trailers, 52 Heavy Equipment Transport Systems, and 30 Palletized Load System Trucks.
In terms of engineering assets, the Kansas Guard has all -- and in some cases more than, -- its authorized vehicles. This includes five road graders, 15 bulldozers, eight scoop loaders and 72 dump trucks, he said.
Whitman said he was unable to report which of these assets is undergoing maintenance and might not be immediately available to provide tornado relief.
Meanwhile, the National Guard Bureau is coordinating requests for additional support through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact. This national partnership agreement paves the way for states to share resources during governor- or federally declared emergencies.
"The states are poised to help one another when their own resources are overwhelmed," said Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, a Pentagon spokeswoman.
Initial out-of-state assets to be committed to the mission include six UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters for search-and-rescue operations; power generation assets to be fielded to Macksville, in Stafford County; and a deployable communications package with voice, data, video and radio interoperability.
"Saving lives and protecting property is what the American people expect the National Guard to do, and that's exactly what we are seeing take place in the wake of the Kansas tornado disaster," Krenke said.
Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius mobilized the troops after a tornado rated at F-5, the highest rating given by the National Weather Service, ripped through the state May 5.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Defense Department Announces Next Iraq Troop Rotation
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
May 8, 2007 – Defense Department officials today announced the next 10 Army brigade combat teams to deploy to Iraq to replace units currently operating there. The announcement affects about 35,000 active-duty troops, who all will deploy between August and the year's end to serve as replacement forces for those returning home, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters.
The units will deploy for up to 15 months.
Whitman emphasized that the announcement is unrelated to the troop surge under way to increase security in and around Baghdad.
"Let me be real clear about this," he said. "This deployment ... is not a decision with respect to the surge. It is simply identifying the next 10 units that will receive deployment orders and to provide the kind of predictability" they need to prepare.
Any decision regarding the surge will be based "entirely upon the conditions on the ground," Whitman said.
Army Gen. David Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, is expected to assess those conditions later this year and make recommendations regarding the surge to the commander of U.S. Central Command, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, defense secretary and president, Whitman said.
Major Army units receiving deployment orders include:
-- 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas;
-- 1st, 2nd and 3rd Brigades, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.;
-- 4th Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Polk, La.;
-- 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood;
-- 4th Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.;
-- 2nd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii;
-- 2nd Cavalry Regiment (Stryker), Vilseck, Germany; and
-- 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 8, 2007 – Defense Department officials today announced the next 10 Army brigade combat teams to deploy to Iraq to replace units currently operating there. The announcement affects about 35,000 active-duty troops, who all will deploy between August and the year's end to serve as replacement forces for those returning home, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters.
The units will deploy for up to 15 months.
Whitman emphasized that the announcement is unrelated to the troop surge under way to increase security in and around Baghdad.
"Let me be real clear about this," he said. "This deployment ... is not a decision with respect to the surge. It is simply identifying the next 10 units that will receive deployment orders and to provide the kind of predictability" they need to prepare.
Any decision regarding the surge will be based "entirely upon the conditions on the ground," Whitman said.
Army Gen. David Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, is expected to assess those conditions later this year and make recommendations regarding the surge to the commander of U.S. Central Command, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, defense secretary and president, Whitman said.
Major Army units receiving deployment orders include:
-- 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas;
-- 1st, 2nd and 3rd Brigades, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.;
-- 4th Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Polk, La.;
-- 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood;
-- 4th Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.;
-- 2nd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii;
-- 2nd Cavalry Regiment (Stryker), Vilseck, Germany; and
-- 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
True Crime and True Law Enforcement History
Note: One of the writers is a former Marine.
May 8, 2007 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books. Police-Writers.com added three police officer authors who have added to our understanding of law enforcement history through their work on true crime and histories of their agencies.
Riverside Police Department detective Christine Keers is the Co-author of The Riverside Killer. According to a book synopsis, “Between 1986 and 1992, Riverside County, California became the scene of a series of savage sex murders that shocked the nation. Nineteen prostitutes were raped and sexually mutilated by a killer who left his grisly trademark on each victim. For almost 6 years he terrorized the city, leaving a trail of false leads, few clues and even fewer suspects.”
According to David Lockeretz, “For someone who lives in southern California (particularly the Riverside area, where the crimes took place) this is an interesting and frightening book to read, and even people who have never heard of Suff before will likely feel revolt at the heinousness of his crimes. No matter how one judges the prostitutes he murdered, it is hard not to recoil at the mention of a light bulb stuffed deep inside one of the naked bodies post mortem and of other sadistic details.”
Matthew J. Lyons, a corporal on the Oceanside Police Department (California) and former Marine is the author of Oceanside Police Department. According to the book description, “The Oceanside Police Department has provided a century of service to a community that has grown from a small seaside resort—doubling as a bedroom community for the U.S. Marine Corps’s nearby Camp Pendleton—into a city of more than 170,000 people. City marshals patrolled Oceanside from 1888 to 1906, and it is indicative of the city’s formative years that the first lawman, former Texas Ranger Charlie Wilson, was also the first to be killed in the line of duty.
The photographs in this remarkable collection inventory the department’s past, covering the administrations of city marshal J. Keno Wilson (Charlie Wilson’s brother), Chiefs Charles Goss, Ward Ratcliff, and others. Showcased are images from the archives of the Oceanside Police Department and the collection of Delores Davis Sloan, the daughter of former captain Harold B. Davis, Oceanside’s top cop of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.”
Matthew J. Lyons has donated the royalties from his book to the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund.
Author and historian M. David DeSoucy is a retired veteran of 25 years of service in the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. He is the author of San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, a history of that department. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is the primary law enforcement agency for the county of San Bernardino. San Bernardino County (California) is geographically the largest in the nation, encompassing 20,186 square miles. In 1853, the County’s first sheriff, Robert Cliff, established Central Station which current serves unincorporated areas of the City of San Bernardino as well as nearby contract cities.
According to the book description, “The largest county in the continental United States has seen its share of colorful pursuits of suspects and fugitives, including the search for the last Native American in the United States to be tracked to his tragic end by a lawman's posse: "Willie Boy" at Ruby Mountain. San Bernardino County also was the setting for the shoot-outs at Baldy Mesa and Lytle Creek. Yet gunplay lore is only one aspect of the epic of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. Today the department deploys nearly 5,000 salaried and volunteer employees to protect and serve its 20,186 square miles of deserts, mountains, forests, and increasingly urban areas. This original cow-county sheriff's office went through many developments that are detailed in these vintage photographs sheriffs' administrations, equipment, investigations, and other exploits all culled from the department's archives, private collections, the California Room of the San Bernardino Public Library, and the San Bernardino Pioneer Historical Society.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 528 police officers (representing 218 police departments) and their 1122 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
May 8, 2007 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books. Police-Writers.com added three police officer authors who have added to our understanding of law enforcement history through their work on true crime and histories of their agencies.
Riverside Police Department detective Christine Keers is the Co-author of The Riverside Killer. According to a book synopsis, “Between 1986 and 1992, Riverside County, California became the scene of a series of savage sex murders that shocked the nation. Nineteen prostitutes were raped and sexually mutilated by a killer who left his grisly trademark on each victim. For almost 6 years he terrorized the city, leaving a trail of false leads, few clues and even fewer suspects.”
According to David Lockeretz, “For someone who lives in southern California (particularly the Riverside area, where the crimes took place) this is an interesting and frightening book to read, and even people who have never heard of Suff before will likely feel revolt at the heinousness of his crimes. No matter how one judges the prostitutes he murdered, it is hard not to recoil at the mention of a light bulb stuffed deep inside one of the naked bodies post mortem and of other sadistic details.”
Matthew J. Lyons, a corporal on the Oceanside Police Department (California) and former Marine is the author of Oceanside Police Department. According to the book description, “The Oceanside Police Department has provided a century of service to a community that has grown from a small seaside resort—doubling as a bedroom community for the U.S. Marine Corps’s nearby Camp Pendleton—into a city of more than 170,000 people. City marshals patrolled Oceanside from 1888 to 1906, and it is indicative of the city’s formative years that the first lawman, former Texas Ranger Charlie Wilson, was also the first to be killed in the line of duty.
The photographs in this remarkable collection inventory the department’s past, covering the administrations of city marshal J. Keno Wilson (Charlie Wilson’s brother), Chiefs Charles Goss, Ward Ratcliff, and others. Showcased are images from the archives of the Oceanside Police Department and the collection of Delores Davis Sloan, the daughter of former captain Harold B. Davis, Oceanside’s top cop of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.”
Matthew J. Lyons has donated the royalties from his book to the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund.
Author and historian M. David DeSoucy is a retired veteran of 25 years of service in the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. He is the author of San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, a history of that department. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is the primary law enforcement agency for the county of San Bernardino. San Bernardino County (California) is geographically the largest in the nation, encompassing 20,186 square miles. In 1853, the County’s first sheriff, Robert Cliff, established Central Station which current serves unincorporated areas of the City of San Bernardino as well as nearby contract cities.
According to the book description, “The largest county in the continental United States has seen its share of colorful pursuits of suspects and fugitives, including the search for the last Native American in the United States to be tracked to his tragic end by a lawman's posse: "Willie Boy" at Ruby Mountain. San Bernardino County also was the setting for the shoot-outs at Baldy Mesa and Lytle Creek. Yet gunplay lore is only one aspect of the epic of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. Today the department deploys nearly 5,000 salaried and volunteer employees to protect and serve its 20,186 square miles of deserts, mountains, forests, and increasingly urban areas. This original cow-county sheriff's office went through many developments that are detailed in these vintage photographs sheriffs' administrations, equipment, investigations, and other exploits all culled from the department's archives, private collections, the California Room of the San Bernardino Public Library, and the San Bernardino Pioneer Historical Society.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 528 police officers (representing 218 police departments) and their 1122 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
Guard, Reserve Employer-Support Agency Gains New Chief
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
May 7, 2007 – Maintaining good communications with civilian employers of National Guardsmen and reservists is a major component of mission success at the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, the agency's new chief said in an interview. Gordon Sumner Jr., a retired Army lieutenant colonel, was appointed as the committee's new executive director March 29.
It is critical, Sumner emphasized, that ESGR maintain open lines of communication with employers of Guard members and reservists, regardless of where they're located.
Created in 1972, the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve is a Defense Department agency that provides information and education for employers of members of the reserve components. In addition, the agency can mediate potential disputes between employers and their employees in the Guard or reserves.
The national committee's more than 4,200 volunteers at 56 field committees across the United States and its territories serve as advocates for good relations between employers and their military employees, Sumner said during an interview with American Forces Press Service during a National Military Appreciation Month event at Opa Locka Airport here on May 3.
"Volunteers are absolutely the most important piece of this organization," Sumner said. "Our job is to get that information out through an outreach program that is robust, timely and strongly supported, as well as keeping lines of communication that go both ways."
ESGR has logged more than 282,000 hours of volunteer work since the start of the current fiscal year, Sumner said.
Increased communication and interface between ESGR's Arlington, Va., headquarters group, its field committees, and employers of Guardsmen and reservists is paying off, Sumner said, citing a decreasing caseload between ESGR ombudsmen and employers.
Sumner traveled to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to attend a May 3 awards ceremony and symposium with local employers. Seven southern Florida employers received Above and Beyond awards, one of a series of honors the committee bestows to employers providing programs and policies that exceed the requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. USERRA specifies re-employment protection and other benefits for veterans and employees returning from military duty.
The seven awardees also signed ESGR 5-Star Statements of Support as symbols of their rededicated support of employees in the Guardsmen or reservists.
"The ombudsman cases are declining rapidly as we grow the Statement of Support (program)," Sumner pointed out. Today, he said, there are only 130 ombudsman-support cases across the country, compared to thousands experienced in past years.
As the war against global terrorism continues, it's more important than ever "to ensure employers are supporting" their employees in the National Guard or reserves, Sumner said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 7, 2007 – Maintaining good communications with civilian employers of National Guardsmen and reservists is a major component of mission success at the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, the agency's new chief said in an interview. Gordon Sumner Jr., a retired Army lieutenant colonel, was appointed as the committee's new executive director March 29.
It is critical, Sumner emphasized, that ESGR maintain open lines of communication with employers of Guard members and reservists, regardless of where they're located.
Created in 1972, the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve is a Defense Department agency that provides information and education for employers of members of the reserve components. In addition, the agency can mediate potential disputes between employers and their employees in the Guard or reserves.
The national committee's more than 4,200 volunteers at 56 field committees across the United States and its territories serve as advocates for good relations between employers and their military employees, Sumner said during an interview with American Forces Press Service during a National Military Appreciation Month event at Opa Locka Airport here on May 3.
"Volunteers are absolutely the most important piece of this organization," Sumner said. "Our job is to get that information out through an outreach program that is robust, timely and strongly supported, as well as keeping lines of communication that go both ways."
ESGR has logged more than 282,000 hours of volunteer work since the start of the current fiscal year, Sumner said.
Increased communication and interface between ESGR's Arlington, Va., headquarters group, its field committees, and employers of Guardsmen and reservists is paying off, Sumner said, citing a decreasing caseload between ESGR ombudsmen and employers.
Sumner traveled to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to attend a May 3 awards ceremony and symposium with local employers. Seven southern Florida employers received Above and Beyond awards, one of a series of honors the committee bestows to employers providing programs and policies that exceed the requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. USERRA specifies re-employment protection and other benefits for veterans and employees returning from military duty.
The seven awardees also signed ESGR 5-Star Statements of Support as symbols of their rededicated support of employees in the Guardsmen or reservists.
"The ombudsman cases are declining rapidly as we grow the Statement of Support (program)," Sumner pointed out. Today, he said, there are only 130 ombudsman-support cases across the country, compared to thousands experienced in past years.
As the war against global terrorism continues, it's more important than ever "to ensure employers are supporting" their employees in the National Guard or reserves, Sumner said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Group Helps Military Families in Crisis
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
May 7, 2007 – Operation Homefront takes its mission of caring for deployed servicemembers, the families they leave behind, and wounded troops very seriously. "Our primary focus is providing emergency assistance to military families and wounded warriors," Meredith Leyva, Operation Homefront's founder, said. "Most of military families live far from home and we aren't rich, so when a crisis comes up, it can send a family into a tailspin."
That tailspin at home can have ripple effects overseas. "It can distract a servicemember from the dangerous task at hand," she said.
Operation Homefront is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with members of the military and their families at home and abroad.
The group, which got its start after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, offers emergency funding to help cover rent, utilities and everyday expenses, with some exceptions. Goods and services, such as food, baby care items, and vehicle and appliance repair, also are offered.
In addition, Operation Homefront provides many programs that boost the morale and quality of life for wounded troops, deployed servicemembers and families on the home front, Leyva said. That includes providing assistance with moving, donating certain appliances, hosting community events, and donating computers and digital cameras to help keep families in touch with deployed servicemembers.
Most importantly, however, the group provides military families with a community. "CinCHouse.com," which Leyva started in 1999, is a supportive online community for military wives, families, girlfriends and women in uniform.
These efforts led the popular Internet community Yahoo to include CinCHouse.com as one of the 100 most important things to happen to the Internet in the last decade as part of Yahoo's 10th anniversary Netrospective in 2005.
Leyva said the group's America Supports You membership has helped the group better help military families.
"Very frankly, without America Supports You, we would not be able to generate all the donations needed to keep up with the demand for emergency assistance by military families," she said. "(It) has been invaluable in raising awareness, in partnering valued charities with individuals and businesses who want to support the troops."
One of those partnerships linked Operation Homefront and the Maid Brigade cleaning company, which, through Leyva's group, is providing emergency cleaning services to military families. A pregnant Army wife with a 3-year-old daughter recently used those services in Dallas. The woman's husband was a soldier recuperating from injuries caused by a bomb blast. He was being treated at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, and the mom and daughter wanted to relocate to be nearer to him.
"She obviously couldn't move herself, so we helped take care of the moving, and Maid Brigade did the cleaning," Leyva said. "It's an incredibly invaluable service to a family that is already going through so much stress."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 7, 2007 – Operation Homefront takes its mission of caring for deployed servicemembers, the families they leave behind, and wounded troops very seriously. "Our primary focus is providing emergency assistance to military families and wounded warriors," Meredith Leyva, Operation Homefront's founder, said. "Most of military families live far from home and we aren't rich, so when a crisis comes up, it can send a family into a tailspin."
That tailspin at home can have ripple effects overseas. "It can distract a servicemember from the dangerous task at hand," she said.
Operation Homefront is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with members of the military and their families at home and abroad.
The group, which got its start after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, offers emergency funding to help cover rent, utilities and everyday expenses, with some exceptions. Goods and services, such as food, baby care items, and vehicle and appliance repair, also are offered.
In addition, Operation Homefront provides many programs that boost the morale and quality of life for wounded troops, deployed servicemembers and families on the home front, Leyva said. That includes providing assistance with moving, donating certain appliances, hosting community events, and donating computers and digital cameras to help keep families in touch with deployed servicemembers.
Most importantly, however, the group provides military families with a community. "CinCHouse.com," which Leyva started in 1999, is a supportive online community for military wives, families, girlfriends and women in uniform.
These efforts led the popular Internet community Yahoo to include CinCHouse.com as one of the 100 most important things to happen to the Internet in the last decade as part of Yahoo's 10th anniversary Netrospective in 2005.
Leyva said the group's America Supports You membership has helped the group better help military families.
"Very frankly, without America Supports You, we would not be able to generate all the donations needed to keep up with the demand for emergency assistance by military families," she said. "(It) has been invaluable in raising awareness, in partnering valued charities with individuals and businesses who want to support the troops."
One of those partnerships linked Operation Homefront and the Maid Brigade cleaning company, which, through Leyva's group, is providing emergency cleaning services to military families. A pregnant Army wife with a 3-year-old daughter recently used those services in Dallas. The woman's husband was a soldier recuperating from injuries caused by a bomb blast. He was being treated at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, and the mom and daughter wanted to relocate to be nearer to him.
"She obviously couldn't move herself, so we helped take care of the moving, and Maid Brigade did the cleaning," Leyva said. "It's an incredibly invaluable service to a family that is already going through so much stress."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Gunner’s Mate, Cop and DA Investigator
Hi Tech Criminal Justice maintains three websites involving police officers and military personnel who have written books. LAPDAuthors.com lists Los Angeles Police Department police officers; Police-Writers.com lists American state and local police officers who have written books; and, Military-Writers.com lists Americans who have served in the military and written books. Garth Wean was added to all three websites.
During World War II Gareth “Gary” Wean served as a Gunner’s Mate in the United States Navy. After the war, in February 1946, Gary Wean joined the Los Angeles Police Department. As a LAPD police officer, Gary Wean worked a variety of assignments, including traffic enforcement, patrol and detectives.
According to Wade Frazier, In 1947, Gary Wean “was pursuing an armed robber through the streets of Los Angeles on a high-speed chase. The suspect crashed his car as it barreled along at ninety miles an hour through LA’s streets. He tried escaping on foot, and Gary cornered him in the dark. The suspect begged for his life. As Gary approached, the man stuck his pistol (which had already killed somebody during the robbery) into Gary’s abdomen and fired. He fired a second shot that hit Gary in his hand. Gary then emptied his pistol into the man, while his partner also fired, killing the robber instantly. Gary’s partner rushed him to the hospital. Although Gary’s abdomen was in great pain, he did not want to unbuckle his Sam Brown belt (a wide leather belt which held his firearm and other police equipment) as they rushed to the hospital, because he thought it might be all that was holding him together. When Gary finally took off his belt, his partner saw that the bullet hit the belt and did not penetrate Gary’s skin.”
In 1952, Gary Wean resigned from the Los Angeles Police Department but continued his career in law enforcement as a Detective Sergeant for the Ventura Police Department (California); an investigator for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Bureau of Investigation; and, finally, in 1966, as the Chief Investigator for the Ventura County Public Defender. He retired from his law enforcement career in 1970.
Gary Wean is also the author of There's a Fish in the Courthouse. According to one reader/reviewer, Gary Wean’s books is “a very sad but true tale of corruption in Ventura County, California. Based on sprawl growth from Los Angeles and the artificially created energy crisis, petroleum rich Ventura County was a necessary plum for the picking by corrupt interest. But, only if controlled by the "right" people and entities. Billions of dollars have been made and are yet to be made as real estate development continues to replace farmland and petroleum is extracted from the Los Padres National Forest. The result has been necessary control by any means for a minimum of 40 years. This control has resulted in corruption is all levels of government, including elected local, state and national officials, government staff, law enforcement, the District Attorney and the entire judicial system of the County and State.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 525 police officers (representing 217 police departments) and their 1118 books; LAPDAuthors.com lists 54 Los Angeles Police Department police officers and their 99 books; and, Military-Writers.com lists 19 former military personnel and their 36 books.
During World War II Gareth “Gary” Wean served as a Gunner’s Mate in the United States Navy. After the war, in February 1946, Gary Wean joined the Los Angeles Police Department. As a LAPD police officer, Gary Wean worked a variety of assignments, including traffic enforcement, patrol and detectives.
According to Wade Frazier, In 1947, Gary Wean “was pursuing an armed robber through the streets of Los Angeles on a high-speed chase. The suspect crashed his car as it barreled along at ninety miles an hour through LA’s streets. He tried escaping on foot, and Gary cornered him in the dark. The suspect begged for his life. As Gary approached, the man stuck his pistol (which had already killed somebody during the robbery) into Gary’s abdomen and fired. He fired a second shot that hit Gary in his hand. Gary then emptied his pistol into the man, while his partner also fired, killing the robber instantly. Gary’s partner rushed him to the hospital. Although Gary’s abdomen was in great pain, he did not want to unbuckle his Sam Brown belt (a wide leather belt which held his firearm and other police equipment) as they rushed to the hospital, because he thought it might be all that was holding him together. When Gary finally took off his belt, his partner saw that the bullet hit the belt and did not penetrate Gary’s skin.”
In 1952, Gary Wean resigned from the Los Angeles Police Department but continued his career in law enforcement as a Detective Sergeant for the Ventura Police Department (California); an investigator for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Bureau of Investigation; and, finally, in 1966, as the Chief Investigator for the Ventura County Public Defender. He retired from his law enforcement career in 1970.
Gary Wean is also the author of There's a Fish in the Courthouse. According to one reader/reviewer, Gary Wean’s books is “a very sad but true tale of corruption in Ventura County, California. Based on sprawl growth from Los Angeles and the artificially created energy crisis, petroleum rich Ventura County was a necessary plum for the picking by corrupt interest. But, only if controlled by the "right" people and entities. Billions of dollars have been made and are yet to be made as real estate development continues to replace farmland and petroleum is extracted from the Los Padres National Forest. The result has been necessary control by any means for a minimum of 40 years. This control has resulted in corruption is all levels of government, including elected local, state and national officials, government staff, law enforcement, the District Attorney and the entire judicial system of the County and State.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 525 police officers (representing 217 police departments) and their 1118 books; LAPDAuthors.com lists 54 Los Angeles Police Department police officers and their 99 books; and, Military-Writers.com lists 19 former military personnel and their 36 books.
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Practical, academic and biographical law enforcement
Note: One of the authors, O.W. Wilson, served as a Lt. Colonel during WWII
Police-Writers.com is a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books. Three local police officers were added to the list: Thomas Lee, Terence Green and O.W. Wilson.
Lieutenant Thomas O. Lee, New York State Police (retired), is the author of Firearms and Weapons Laws: Gun Control in New York. According to the book description, the book is a “complete source for answers to questions about the laws governing firearms licensing and use of weapons in New York. Contains all the statutes governing weapons possession, licensing and use, with expert commentary explaining what they mean and how they really work.”
Terence Green has spent over 29 years in local law enforcement. As an Oakland Police Department (California) police officer he has worked patrol, traffic, juvenile and detectives. He retired from the Oakland Police Department at the age of 50 and began working at the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Behavior Science Unit. He worked there for 11 years.
Terence Green is the author of Old School. Old School “tells the true story of a career police officer as he advances through the ranks of the Oakland Police Department from a patrolman working a one man car to the Commander of the Homicide Detail.” According to one reader/reviewer, “This is a definite recommend to those interested in reading stories about how police work used to be. The book reads as if the author is sitting back in an easy chair with a glass of scotch telling you about the good old days. Definitely enjoyable and a good read that transcends generations.”
O.W. Wilson obtained his degree in Criminology from the University of California, Berkeley in 1924. To pay for his tuition, he joined the Berkeley Police Department, serving under another famous police officer, scholar and writer, August Vollmer. O.W. Wilson went on to become influential police scholar as well as the chief of police of the Fullerton Police Department (California) and chief of police of the Wichita Police Department (Kansas); and, the superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army as a public safety officer.
O.W. Wilson is the author of at least three books on policing and law enforcement: Police records: Their Installation and Use; Police Planning; and, Police Administration. O.W. Wilson’s book, Police Administration, is one of the most influential books in America on local law enforcement. Indeed, it was revised in 1996 and is used today in many colleges and universities. According to the revision description, “perhaps no other book in policing has captured more admiration and market share than O.W. Wilson's "Police Administration". Now Wilson's text has been revised by three top scholars in the field. This long awaited revision combines the nuts and bolts approach of the original with an up-to-date theoretical and policy perspective that makes it accessible to students and practitioners alike.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 518 police officers (representing 216 police departments) and their 1099 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
Police-Writers.com is a website dedicated to listing state and local police officers who have authored books. Three local police officers were added to the list: Thomas Lee, Terence Green and O.W. Wilson.
Lieutenant Thomas O. Lee, New York State Police (retired), is the author of Firearms and Weapons Laws: Gun Control in New York. According to the book description, the book is a “complete source for answers to questions about the laws governing firearms licensing and use of weapons in New York. Contains all the statutes governing weapons possession, licensing and use, with expert commentary explaining what they mean and how they really work.”
Terence Green has spent over 29 years in local law enforcement. As an Oakland Police Department (California) police officer he has worked patrol, traffic, juvenile and detectives. He retired from the Oakland Police Department at the age of 50 and began working at the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Behavior Science Unit. He worked there for 11 years.
Terence Green is the author of Old School. Old School “tells the true story of a career police officer as he advances through the ranks of the Oakland Police Department from a patrolman working a one man car to the Commander of the Homicide Detail.” According to one reader/reviewer, “This is a definite recommend to those interested in reading stories about how police work used to be. The book reads as if the author is sitting back in an easy chair with a glass of scotch telling you about the good old days. Definitely enjoyable and a good read that transcends generations.”
O.W. Wilson obtained his degree in Criminology from the University of California, Berkeley in 1924. To pay for his tuition, he joined the Berkeley Police Department, serving under another famous police officer, scholar and writer, August Vollmer. O.W. Wilson went on to become influential police scholar as well as the chief of police of the Fullerton Police Department (California) and chief of police of the Wichita Police Department (Kansas); and, the superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army as a public safety officer.
O.W. Wilson is the author of at least three books on policing and law enforcement: Police records: Their Installation and Use; Police Planning; and, Police Administration. O.W. Wilson’s book, Police Administration, is one of the most influential books in America on local law enforcement. Indeed, it was revised in 1996 and is used today in many colleges and universities. According to the revision description, “perhaps no other book in policing has captured more admiration and market share than O.W. Wilson's "Police Administration". Now Wilson's text has been revised by three top scholars in the field. This long awaited revision combines the nuts and bolts approach of the original with an up-to-date theoretical and policy perspective that makes it accessible to students and practitioners alike.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 518 police officers (representing 216 police departments) and their 1099 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
Friday, May 04, 2007
New DoD Strategy Outlined For Information Sharing
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration and DoD Chief Information Officer John G. Grimes signed the "DoD Information Sharing Strategy" today and established a new information sharing vision for the Department of Defense:
"Delivering the power of information to ensure mission success through an agile enterprise with freedom of maneuverability across the information environment." "The Department of Defense must closely cooperate with our domestic and international partners to mutually reinforce each other's success," said Grimes. "To that end, we must be able to quickly and seamlessly share information. This strategy will help us achieve that goal in concert with our partners both at home and abroad."
"We are working closely with Ambassador Ted McNamara, the President's Information Sharing Environment program manager, and retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Dale Meyerrose, Associate Director of National Intelligence and Chief Information Officer for the Director of National Intelligence, to ensure that our goals will support the national strategy," he added.
According to the DoD Information Sharing Strategy, the vision describes a future state where "transparent, open, agile, timely, and relevant information sharing occurs to promote freedom of maneuverability across a trusted information environment." To achieve this vision, the strategy describes four goals that form the necessary environment across the department. These include: (1) promote, encourage, and incentivize sharing; (2) achieve an extended enterprise; (3) strengthen agility in order to accommodate unanticipated partners and events; and (4) ensure trust across organizations.
Developed through the combined efforts of the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the strategy was published in response to the President's information sharing imperatives and as outlined in the most recent Quadrennial Defense Review. It seeks to guide the Department's exchange of information within the DoD and with domestic and international partners; for example, federal, state, local, tribal, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, foreign nations, and international organizations.
It provides an approach to information sharing activities and operations for the Office of the Secretary of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the combatant commands, the military departments, the Office of the Inspector General of the DoD, the defense agencies, the DoD field activities, and all other organizational entities in the DoD.
"To realize these objectives, the strategy addresses necessary changes to information mobility and associated alignment of incentives, policies, processes and systems, while identifying the critical cultural shift required to support collaboration and improved knowledge sharing," said Grimes.
The DoD Information Sharing Strategy will be supplemented with additional integrated guidance to synchronize the many information sharing activities, initiatives and investments supported by the DoD. This guidance will expand on five implementation considerations identified in the strategy to focus development on the culture, governance, policies, economics and resources, and technology and infrastructure factors associated with solutions to information sharing challenges. The strategy also establishes a framework for DoD to support the Federal Information Sharing Environment mandated by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (IRTPA) of 2004.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
"Delivering the power of information to ensure mission success through an agile enterprise with freedom of maneuverability across the information environment." "The Department of Defense must closely cooperate with our domestic and international partners to mutually reinforce each other's success," said Grimes. "To that end, we must be able to quickly and seamlessly share information. This strategy will help us achieve that goal in concert with our partners both at home and abroad."
"We are working closely with Ambassador Ted McNamara, the President's Information Sharing Environment program manager, and retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Dale Meyerrose, Associate Director of National Intelligence and Chief Information Officer for the Director of National Intelligence, to ensure that our goals will support the national strategy," he added.
According to the DoD Information Sharing Strategy, the vision describes a future state where "transparent, open, agile, timely, and relevant information sharing occurs to promote freedom of maneuverability across a trusted information environment." To achieve this vision, the strategy describes four goals that form the necessary environment across the department. These include: (1) promote, encourage, and incentivize sharing; (2) achieve an extended enterprise; (3) strengthen agility in order to accommodate unanticipated partners and events; and (4) ensure trust across organizations.
Developed through the combined efforts of the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the strategy was published in response to the President's information sharing imperatives and as outlined in the most recent Quadrennial Defense Review. It seeks to guide the Department's exchange of information within the DoD and with domestic and international partners; for example, federal, state, local, tribal, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, foreign nations, and international organizations.
It provides an approach to information sharing activities and operations for the Office of the Secretary of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the combatant commands, the military departments, the Office of the Inspector General of the DoD, the defense agencies, the DoD field activities, and all other organizational entities in the DoD.
"To realize these objectives, the strategy addresses necessary changes to information mobility and associated alignment of incentives, policies, processes and systems, while identifying the critical cultural shift required to support collaboration and improved knowledge sharing," said Grimes.
The DoD Information Sharing Strategy will be supplemented with additional integrated guidance to synchronize the many information sharing activities, initiatives and investments supported by the DoD. This guidance will expand on five implementation considerations identified in the strategy to focus development on the culture, governance, policies, economics and resources, and technology and infrastructure factors associated with solutions to information sharing challenges. The strategy also establishes a framework for DoD to support the Federal Information Sharing Environment mandated by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (IRTPA) of 2004.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Pentagon Kicks Off Appreciation Month with Concert
By Carmen L. Gleason
American Forces Press Service
May 4, 2007 – There aren't enough "thank yous" in the world to express the gratitude felt for the members of the armed forces, said up-and-coming vocalist Jenny Boyle, the entertainer for the Pentagon's kick off to Military Appreciation Month today. During the third annual America Supports You Military Appreciation Concert, Boyle entertained the audience with her rock and country stylings of crowd favorites, as the Pentagon Channel broadcast the hour-long concert live to 350 military installations worldwide.
America Supports You is a Defense Department program designed to connect grassroots support groups and corporate partners with the men and women of the U.S. armed forces and their families.
"(Jenny) is a real hero in my mind because she has gone everywhere we have people in uniform around the world, whether she had to wear a flak vest or not, to provide a taste of home to those folks that are away from their families and friends fighting for our freedom and our way of life," Navy Vice Admiral Nancy Brown, Joint Staff director of command, control, communications and computer systems, said during her opening remarks. "She has sacrificed on her own to do that."
Boyle has entertained troops at U.S. military installations during five tours with Armed Forces Entertainment and the United Service Organizations. She has performed in locations such as Germany, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Djibouti and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to name a few.
"(The men and women of the armed forces) have done so much for our country and they sacrifice so much on a daily basis," Boyle said. "It's the least that we can do to go overseas to entertain and support them. It's an honor."
For soldiers like Army Maj. Chew Leung, who works in the Army's personnel office, the concert briefly enjoyed during his lunch break had special meaning.
"I grew up during a time when the military was mostly disregarded," he said, referring to Vietnam-era days. "It's nice to have a performer come out and express her support for what we are doing. I really appreciate this."
Boyle said troops who are far away from friends and families especially appreciate her performances. "(Bringing) just a little bit of home to them means so much," she told American Forces Press Service. "And to be a part of that and being a part of America Supports You is such an honor."
"Have a great Military Appreciation Month," she said at the close of the concert. "You deserve every second of it!"
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 4, 2007 – There aren't enough "thank yous" in the world to express the gratitude felt for the members of the armed forces, said up-and-coming vocalist Jenny Boyle, the entertainer for the Pentagon's kick off to Military Appreciation Month today. During the third annual America Supports You Military Appreciation Concert, Boyle entertained the audience with her rock and country stylings of crowd favorites, as the Pentagon Channel broadcast the hour-long concert live to 350 military installations worldwide.
America Supports You is a Defense Department program designed to connect grassroots support groups and corporate partners with the men and women of the U.S. armed forces and their families.
"(Jenny) is a real hero in my mind because she has gone everywhere we have people in uniform around the world, whether she had to wear a flak vest or not, to provide a taste of home to those folks that are away from their families and friends fighting for our freedom and our way of life," Navy Vice Admiral Nancy Brown, Joint Staff director of command, control, communications and computer systems, said during her opening remarks. "She has sacrificed on her own to do that."
Boyle has entertained troops at U.S. military installations during five tours with Armed Forces Entertainment and the United Service Organizations. She has performed in locations such as Germany, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Djibouti and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to name a few.
"(The men and women of the armed forces) have done so much for our country and they sacrifice so much on a daily basis," Boyle said. "It's the least that we can do to go overseas to entertain and support them. It's an honor."
For soldiers like Army Maj. Chew Leung, who works in the Army's personnel office, the concert briefly enjoyed during his lunch break had special meaning.
"I grew up during a time when the military was mostly disregarded," he said, referring to Vietnam-era days. "It's nice to have a performer come out and express her support for what we are doing. I really appreciate this."
Boyle said troops who are far away from friends and families especially appreciate her performances. "(Bringing) just a little bit of home to them means so much," she told American Forces Press Service. "And to be a part of that and being a part of America Supports You is such an honor."
"Have a great Military Appreciation Month," she said at the close of the concert. "You deserve every second of it!"
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
WWII Vet Notes Cell Phone's Value to Troops
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
May 4, 2007 – When Purple Heart recipient Earl "Scotty" MacKenzie was a World War II Army sergeant, communications with loved ones back home from the South Pacific where he was serving were extremely limited. "Oh my God, we had nothing, ... no telephones, nothing," he said, adding that a simple letter could take months to reach him -- "if they could catch up with us because we went from island to island."
Communication is no longer a problem for the former "fox hole technician." MacKenzie now works with "Cell Phones for Soldiers," an organization started by Massachusetts teen siblings Brittany and Robbie Bergquist.
The group recycles used cell phones and uses the cash to buy pre-paid calling cards for troops serving overseas.
The organization is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with members of the military and their families at home and abroad.
"I couldn't believe it that two young children would get involved like this, and they have just gone so far with the program. They're just great people," MacKenzie said. "The family (they're) just great people. I can't say enough about them."
MacKenzie has been very involved in helping collect cell phones in his region for the organization.
"I have drop sites at ... bases, (and) we've been collecting a heck of a lot of phones," he said. "I wish we had something like that in our war. I really do."
Because of his work on behalf of the group, Gail Bergquist, the teens' mother, asked MacKenzie to represent the group at the third annual America Supports You Salute Concert today at the Pentagon, which kicked off Military Appreciation Month.
He also brought along former Air Force Senior Airman Max Ford. Together they spread the word to the Pentagon work force about Cell Phones for Soldiers.
This isn't the first time Ford, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, has lent MacKenzie a helping hand.
"Scotty ... was trying to find a way to distribute the cards, and he asked me whether or not we had a lot of people deployed," Ford said. "We know that we always have somebody deployed."
He started helping MacKenzie distribute Cell Phones for Soldiers prepaid calling cards after he returned from his tour in Balad, Iraq, in October 2006. He worked with his family support center and with his unit, the 341st Logistics Readiness Squadron, to get the cards into the hands of those serving overseas before separating from the military.
Though he was never a recipient of a Cell Phones for Soldiers phone card, Ford attested to the importance of receiving such support while away from family and friends.
"It was always nice to receive a (package)," he said. "But it's not that, it's just knowing that the people back home remember you, care about you.
"Just knowing that boosts your morale," he said as he turned to watch local recording artist Jenny Boyle perform for the crowd gathered in the Pentagon courtyard.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 4, 2007 – When Purple Heart recipient Earl "Scotty" MacKenzie was a World War II Army sergeant, communications with loved ones back home from the South Pacific where he was serving were extremely limited. "Oh my God, we had nothing, ... no telephones, nothing," he said, adding that a simple letter could take months to reach him -- "if they could catch up with us because we went from island to island."
Communication is no longer a problem for the former "fox hole technician." MacKenzie now works with "Cell Phones for Soldiers," an organization started by Massachusetts teen siblings Brittany and Robbie Bergquist.
The group recycles used cell phones and uses the cash to buy pre-paid calling cards for troops serving overseas.
The organization is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with members of the military and their families at home and abroad.
"I couldn't believe it that two young children would get involved like this, and they have just gone so far with the program. They're just great people," MacKenzie said. "The family (they're) just great people. I can't say enough about them."
MacKenzie has been very involved in helping collect cell phones in his region for the organization.
"I have drop sites at ... bases, (and) we've been collecting a heck of a lot of phones," he said. "I wish we had something like that in our war. I really do."
Because of his work on behalf of the group, Gail Bergquist, the teens' mother, asked MacKenzie to represent the group at the third annual America Supports You Salute Concert today at the Pentagon, which kicked off Military Appreciation Month.
He also brought along former Air Force Senior Airman Max Ford. Together they spread the word to the Pentagon work force about Cell Phones for Soldiers.
This isn't the first time Ford, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, has lent MacKenzie a helping hand.
"Scotty ... was trying to find a way to distribute the cards, and he asked me whether or not we had a lot of people deployed," Ford said. "We know that we always have somebody deployed."
He started helping MacKenzie distribute Cell Phones for Soldiers prepaid calling cards after he returned from his tour in Balad, Iraq, in October 2006. He worked with his family support center and with his unit, the 341st Logistics Readiness Squadron, to get the cards into the hands of those serving overseas before separating from the military.
Though he was never a recipient of a Cell Phones for Soldiers phone card, Ford attested to the importance of receiving such support while away from family and friends.
"It was always nice to receive a (package)," he said. "But it's not that, it's just knowing that the people back home remember you, care about you.
"Just knowing that boosts your morale," he said as he turned to watch local recording artist Jenny Boyle perform for the crowd gathered in the Pentagon courtyard.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Armed Forces Recruits Take Oath of Enlistment at Florida Ceremony
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
May 4, 2007 – Scores of young people raised their right hands and joined America's armed forces during a joint enlistment ceremony here yesterday. The mass enlistment, held inside a hangar at Miami's Opa Locka Airport, inducted 120 new members into the Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy or Coast Guard.
Thomas F. Hall, assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs and a retired Navy rear admiral with 38 years of military service, attended the ceremony and praised the young people for their patriotism.
"I wish I could do it all over again," Hall said to the soon-to-be servicemembers. "But, it's your time to serve. And, you'll soon raise your hand and enter into the ranks of all of those that have served before you and will serve after you."
"I tip my hat to them for the service that they're going to provide to their country," Navy Vice Adm. Marty Chanik, commander of the U.S. 2nd Fleet, based at Norfolk, Va., told the inductees. "I really and deeply appreciate that, and I know that you'll find your service in the military to be a rewarding time. Congratulations to each and every one of you."
Air National Guard Lt. Gen. Craig R. McKinley, director of the Air National Guard, then swore in the group.
"It is such an honor to be wearing that uniform and to be a Marine," Miami Gardens resident Angeline Medina, 17, said after she took her oath of enlistment.
The swearing-in ceremony was part of Fleet Week USA and 2007 McDonald's Air and Sea Show media day activities held in the Fort Lauderdale and Miami region as part of National Military Appreciation Month in May.
The Navy sent some ships and its Leap Frogs Parachute Team to participate in Fleet Week and Air and Sea Show activities in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area, noted Chanik, who's also the director of the "Combined Joint Operations from the Sea Center of Excellence," in Norfolk.
"We bring some equipment for folks to see, but that's not really what's important," Chanik said.
The key focus of such events, the admiral pointed out, is for civilians to meet and talk with servicemembers "who make a big difference for our country."
One of those servicemembers was Army Staff Sgt. Daniel P. Barnes, a 29-year-old Iraq veteran who hails from Saint Robert, Mo. Barnes lost both of his legs because of a rocket-propelled-grenade attack in Baghdad on September 4, 2006. He praised the "Wounded Warrior Project," a non-profit servicemember support group that helped him when he was recovering from his wounds at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.
"They came to my room and brought me a backpack filled with clothes and toiletries," Barnes, who is still on active duty, recalled. "I think it is truly amazing; fellow soldiers helping out fellow soldiers."
The Wounded Warrior Project is among the more than 250 businesses and organizations nationwide participating in the Defense Department's America Supports You program, which recognizes citizens' support for military men and women and communicates that support to members of the U.S. armed forces here and abroad.
The media day was a preview of military-themed festivities along Fort Lauderdale's beachfront today. Other venues at the airport included a drill-and-ceremony demonstration by the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard, flyovers by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, and static military displays, including Navy F-16 and Air Force F-15 aircraft.
A special surprise guest, the new F-22 Raptor fighter jet, landed on the tarmac. Excited spectators cheered their approval as the sleek aircraft slowly taxied up with its turbines whining.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 4, 2007 – Scores of young people raised their right hands and joined America's armed forces during a joint enlistment ceremony here yesterday. The mass enlistment, held inside a hangar at Miami's Opa Locka Airport, inducted 120 new members into the Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy or Coast Guard.
Thomas F. Hall, assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs and a retired Navy rear admiral with 38 years of military service, attended the ceremony and praised the young people for their patriotism.
"I wish I could do it all over again," Hall said to the soon-to-be servicemembers. "But, it's your time to serve. And, you'll soon raise your hand and enter into the ranks of all of those that have served before you and will serve after you."
"I tip my hat to them for the service that they're going to provide to their country," Navy Vice Adm. Marty Chanik, commander of the U.S. 2nd Fleet, based at Norfolk, Va., told the inductees. "I really and deeply appreciate that, and I know that you'll find your service in the military to be a rewarding time. Congratulations to each and every one of you."
Air National Guard Lt. Gen. Craig R. McKinley, director of the Air National Guard, then swore in the group.
"It is such an honor to be wearing that uniform and to be a Marine," Miami Gardens resident Angeline Medina, 17, said after she took her oath of enlistment.
The swearing-in ceremony was part of Fleet Week USA and 2007 McDonald's Air and Sea Show media day activities held in the Fort Lauderdale and Miami region as part of National Military Appreciation Month in May.
The Navy sent some ships and its Leap Frogs Parachute Team to participate in Fleet Week and Air and Sea Show activities in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area, noted Chanik, who's also the director of the "Combined Joint Operations from the Sea Center of Excellence," in Norfolk.
"We bring some equipment for folks to see, but that's not really what's important," Chanik said.
The key focus of such events, the admiral pointed out, is for civilians to meet and talk with servicemembers "who make a big difference for our country."
One of those servicemembers was Army Staff Sgt. Daniel P. Barnes, a 29-year-old Iraq veteran who hails from Saint Robert, Mo. Barnes lost both of his legs because of a rocket-propelled-grenade attack in Baghdad on September 4, 2006. He praised the "Wounded Warrior Project," a non-profit servicemember support group that helped him when he was recovering from his wounds at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.
"They came to my room and brought me a backpack filled with clothes and toiletries," Barnes, who is still on active duty, recalled. "I think it is truly amazing; fellow soldiers helping out fellow soldiers."
The Wounded Warrior Project is among the more than 250 businesses and organizations nationwide participating in the Defense Department's America Supports You program, which recognizes citizens' support for military men and women and communicates that support to members of the U.S. armed forces here and abroad.
The media day was a preview of military-themed festivities along Fort Lauderdale's beachfront today. Other venues at the airport included a drill-and-ceremony demonstration by the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard, flyovers by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, and static military displays, including Navy F-16 and Air Force F-15 aircraft.
A special surprise guest, the new F-22 Raptor fighter jet, landed on the tarmac. Excited spectators cheered their approval as the sleek aircraft slowly taxied up with its turbines whining.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Grassroots Groups Help Pentagon Celebrate
By Carmen L. Gleason
American Forces Press Service
May 4, 2007 – Twenty-eight America Supports You home-front support groups converged on the Pentagon today to share information about their organizations with the men and women who work inside the building during the U.S. military headquarters kick-off ceremony for Military Appreciation Month. America Supports You is a Defense Department program that works to connect its more than 250 grassroots groups with members of the U.S. armed forces and their families.
"These folks are doing more for our troops than I can express in words," said Navy Vice Adm. Nancy Brown, Joint Staff director for command, control, communications and computer systems, during her welcome remarks at the ceremony. "To give them gratitude for their sacrifices, from making direct financial contributions to buying airline tickets to making clothes for those that have come back ... for their contributions and their sacrifices in supporting our troops. Thank you all very much."
Not only did the grassroots groups voice their support to the uniformed employees of the building, they also used the time to educate those who will be taking charge of troops in the future.
A lot of people don't know what's available to them, said Pat Stradley, family director of "USA Cares." "We get many referrals from unit commanders."
USA Cares provides financial assistance to military members and their families. Within the last three years the organization has assisted nearly 6,000 servicemembers by providing $3.4 million in funds and $1.2 million in alternative resources.
"Some of the stories we hear are heartbreaking," Stradley said, "but we really love what we do."
"It's very important to connect community groups with military families," said Caroline Peabody, who is the president of the Military Family Network, an organization that works to educate servicemembers on the benefits offered to them by state and federal agencies. "Our community connection program identifies neighborhoods that are reaching out to help military members and their families."
Many of the America Supports You home-front groups used the time in the Pentagon's courtyard to network with each other.
"There is no one group that can take care of all the needs of the troops and their families," said "Operation First Response" co-founder Peggy Baker. "By getting to know each other and what our specialties are, we can better help the troops. We end up touching each others' lives."
From providing financial assistance to servicemembers and recycling cell phones in order to purchase phone cards to providing comfort and relief items for hospitalized troops and providing custom-made clothing for wounded warriors, a vast array of services were represented during the festivities.
"The most important thing for people to know about those of us out here is that we're here to support the troops," said Debbie Rupert, from "Operation Quiet Comfort." "It's also important for troops to know that, no matter what, we support them."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 4, 2007 – Twenty-eight America Supports You home-front support groups converged on the Pentagon today to share information about their organizations with the men and women who work inside the building during the U.S. military headquarters kick-off ceremony for Military Appreciation Month. America Supports You is a Defense Department program that works to connect its more than 250 grassroots groups with members of the U.S. armed forces and their families.
"These folks are doing more for our troops than I can express in words," said Navy Vice Adm. Nancy Brown, Joint Staff director for command, control, communications and computer systems, during her welcome remarks at the ceremony. "To give them gratitude for their sacrifices, from making direct financial contributions to buying airline tickets to making clothes for those that have come back ... for their contributions and their sacrifices in supporting our troops. Thank you all very much."
Not only did the grassroots groups voice their support to the uniformed employees of the building, they also used the time to educate those who will be taking charge of troops in the future.
A lot of people don't know what's available to them, said Pat Stradley, family director of "USA Cares." "We get many referrals from unit commanders."
USA Cares provides financial assistance to military members and their families. Within the last three years the organization has assisted nearly 6,000 servicemembers by providing $3.4 million in funds and $1.2 million in alternative resources.
"Some of the stories we hear are heartbreaking," Stradley said, "but we really love what we do."
"It's very important to connect community groups with military families," said Caroline Peabody, who is the president of the Military Family Network, an organization that works to educate servicemembers on the benefits offered to them by state and federal agencies. "Our community connection program identifies neighborhoods that are reaching out to help military members and their families."
Many of the America Supports You home-front groups used the time in the Pentagon's courtyard to network with each other.
"There is no one group that can take care of all the needs of the troops and their families," said "Operation First Response" co-founder Peggy Baker. "By getting to know each other and what our specialties are, we can better help the troops. We end up touching each others' lives."
From providing financial assistance to servicemembers and recycling cell phones in order to purchase phone cards to providing comfort and relief items for hospitalized troops and providing custom-made clothing for wounded warriors, a vast array of services were represented during the festivities.
"The most important thing for people to know about those of us out here is that we're here to support the troops," said Debbie Rupert, from "Operation Quiet Comfort." "It's also important for troops to know that, no matter what, we support them."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Why We Serve: Air Force Sergeant Dedicates Afghan Work to Fallen Comrades
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
May 4, 2007 – An Air Force construction specialist who served with a provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan last year has dedicated his humanitarian work there to two fallen comrades. Tech. Sgt. Robert P. Jubie, a 35-year-old carpenter who also has served in Iraq, recalled helping Afghans improve their lives through the construction of government buildings, homes, schools and roads during his PRT duty in Laghman province from June to December 2006.
The PRT's work in Afghanistan was often dangerous, Jubie said, citing the death of two soldiers, both of whom were his friends. They were killed in Kabul on Sept. 8, 2006, by a suicide-bent driver who detonated his vehicle's 300-pound load of high explosives.
"That really drove home to me to a great desire to continue the mission," Jubie, an Arlington, Wash., native said. "Unfortunately, their lives were ended short, but their legacy lives on through the PRTs."
Jubie is among a group of eight servicemembers with duty experience in Iraq, Afghanistan or the Horn of Africa selected to tell their stories to the American people at community, business, veterans and other gatherings as part of the Defense Department's "Why We Serve" public outreach program.
The "Why We Serve" program, initially the idea of Marine Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, began last fall, noted Air Force Maj. Ann N. Biggers, the program's director. Eight military members, two from each service, are selected to participate in the program, which is conducted in quarterly segments, she explained.
"We know that the American public is hungry to hear about what these young men and women have been doing," Biggers said. "It's important for our speakers, as well, because they are out there serving their country, and they want to be able to tell their stories."
Jubie, who said he is an intensely patriotic person, joined the Air Force through the delayed enlistment program after graduating from Arlington High School in 1991. He'd already studied carpentry during two years at a local vocational-tech school.
Today, Jubie wears a black metal bracelet bearing the name of one of his two fallen friends. He said he never takes off his remembrance bracelet.
Afghanistan is a battered country that desperately wants to emerge from a centuries-old cycle of poverty and violence, Jubie said. The tribal folk that inhabit Afghanistan's outlands in the Hindu Kush Mountains are good-hearted, kind and mostly ignorant of the modern world, he said.
Education is a precious and valued commodity in Afghanistan, Jubie said. The radical Taliban, he said, conspire with like-minded local religious leaders to take advantage of the average Afghan's non-worldliness.
"They're a great and beautiful people," Jubie said of the Afghans.
However, because of illiteracy plaguing the country, most Afghans "don't really know if what's being preached in the mosques is true or not."
That's one of the reasons why it's so important that the Afghan people obtain increased opportunities for education and access to a higher standard of living, he said. The Afghans are especially appreciative of the PRT projects that build new schools for their children.
"That's why the Taliban fights us to this day," Jubie pointed out, noting that the terrorists want the Afghans to live in perpetual ignorance and poverty.
Afghans who are educated, forward-looking and focused on improving their lives would automatically reject the Taliban's dark, medieval philosophy, he said.
Education represents "the voice of democracy and freedom," Jubie said, as well as a path to a better life. These are opportunities that the Afghans long for, he said.
"And, we're providing that," Jubie said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 4, 2007 – An Air Force construction specialist who served with a provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan last year has dedicated his humanitarian work there to two fallen comrades. Tech. Sgt. Robert P. Jubie, a 35-year-old carpenter who also has served in Iraq, recalled helping Afghans improve their lives through the construction of government buildings, homes, schools and roads during his PRT duty in Laghman province from June to December 2006.
The PRT's work in Afghanistan was often dangerous, Jubie said, citing the death of two soldiers, both of whom were his friends. They were killed in Kabul on Sept. 8, 2006, by a suicide-bent driver who detonated his vehicle's 300-pound load of high explosives.
"That really drove home to me to a great desire to continue the mission," Jubie, an Arlington, Wash., native said. "Unfortunately, their lives were ended short, but their legacy lives on through the PRTs."
Jubie is among a group of eight servicemembers with duty experience in Iraq, Afghanistan or the Horn of Africa selected to tell their stories to the American people at community, business, veterans and other gatherings as part of the Defense Department's "Why We Serve" public outreach program.
The "Why We Serve" program, initially the idea of Marine Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, began last fall, noted Air Force Maj. Ann N. Biggers, the program's director. Eight military members, two from each service, are selected to participate in the program, which is conducted in quarterly segments, she explained.
"We know that the American public is hungry to hear about what these young men and women have been doing," Biggers said. "It's important for our speakers, as well, because they are out there serving their country, and they want to be able to tell their stories."
Jubie, who said he is an intensely patriotic person, joined the Air Force through the delayed enlistment program after graduating from Arlington High School in 1991. He'd already studied carpentry during two years at a local vocational-tech school.
Today, Jubie wears a black metal bracelet bearing the name of one of his two fallen friends. He said he never takes off his remembrance bracelet.
Afghanistan is a battered country that desperately wants to emerge from a centuries-old cycle of poverty and violence, Jubie said. The tribal folk that inhabit Afghanistan's outlands in the Hindu Kush Mountains are good-hearted, kind and mostly ignorant of the modern world, he said.
Education is a precious and valued commodity in Afghanistan, Jubie said. The radical Taliban, he said, conspire with like-minded local religious leaders to take advantage of the average Afghan's non-worldliness.
"They're a great and beautiful people," Jubie said of the Afghans.
However, because of illiteracy plaguing the country, most Afghans "don't really know if what's being preached in the mosques is true or not."
That's one of the reasons why it's so important that the Afghan people obtain increased opportunities for education and access to a higher standard of living, he said. The Afghans are especially appreciative of the PRT projects that build new schools for their children.
"That's why the Taliban fights us to this day," Jubie pointed out, noting that the terrorists want the Afghans to live in perpetual ignorance and poverty.
Afghans who are educated, forward-looking and focused on improving their lives would automatically reject the Taliban's dark, medieval philosophy, he said.
Education represents "the voice of democracy and freedom," Jubie said, as well as a path to a better life. These are opportunities that the Afghans long for, he said.
"And, we're providing that," Jubie said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
RE/MAX Receives Award for Supporting Troops, Families
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
May 4, 2007 – America Supports You kicked off Military Appreciation Month today by honoring RE/MAX International, Inc., with the Defense Department's Exceptional Public Service Award for the company's commitment to turning military spouses into real estate agents. The international real estate agency launched Operation RE/MAX in August to help military spouses develop real estate careers through training and licensing and by providing employment placement. Today, more than 500 military installations and nearly 1,000 RE/MAX offices participate in the program, and the agency already has placed hundreds of military spouses in real estate jobs.
"One of the biggest challenges for our families is the military transfer," said Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for internal communications and public liaison and the creator of America Supports You, a Defense Department program that connects citizens and corporations with members of the military and their families at home and abroad.
Barber thanked RE/MAX, America Supports You's newest corporate partner, for providing careers for spouses "so that no matter where our military member goes, the spouse has a job and a fabulous opportunity to make a contribution to the community."
"Now we have a program where spouses, who have never had to be the breadwinner, can be licensed and make a career move that helps support their families," Barber told the packed Pentagon briefing room here today.
In addition to Operation RE/MAX, the company is in the early stages of the Sentinels of Freedom Scholarship, a program which offers severely wounded veterans assistance with housing, transportation, education, job training and employment.
Speaking on behalf of 121,000 RE/MAX associates at offices in more than 65 countries, Gail Liniger, vice chairman of the board and co-founder of RE/MAX International, Inc., thanked ASY for allowing the agency to be "part of the team."
"America Supports You is such a wonderful organization and a tremendous resource to the military," Liniger said. "RE/MAX is so pleased we can help you with your efforts, ... and we are looking forward to working with you in the future and coming years."
Barber then introduced David S. C. Chu, the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, who told the audience that a career is the "objective of Americans who want to realize their potential."
"As many of you know, military personnel and their families move frequently, sometimes very frequently, and it's very tough in that environment if you are a military spouse to have a career," he said. "So we're very grateful RE/MAX has stepped up and targeted military spouses ... with a great support action for our military families."
Audience members were called to attention and rose to their feet to watch Chu present the Exceptional Public Service Award certificate to Liniger.
Guests on hand for the award ceremony were invited to participate in America Supports You's Military Appreciation Month Kickoff events today, including a concert in the Pentagon courtyard to honor U.S. servicemembers.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 4, 2007 – America Supports You kicked off Military Appreciation Month today by honoring RE/MAX International, Inc., with the Defense Department's Exceptional Public Service Award for the company's commitment to turning military spouses into real estate agents. The international real estate agency launched Operation RE/MAX in August to help military spouses develop real estate careers through training and licensing and by providing employment placement. Today, more than 500 military installations and nearly 1,000 RE/MAX offices participate in the program, and the agency already has placed hundreds of military spouses in real estate jobs.
"One of the biggest challenges for our families is the military transfer," said Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for internal communications and public liaison and the creator of America Supports You, a Defense Department program that connects citizens and corporations with members of the military and their families at home and abroad.
Barber thanked RE/MAX, America Supports You's newest corporate partner, for providing careers for spouses "so that no matter where our military member goes, the spouse has a job and a fabulous opportunity to make a contribution to the community."
"Now we have a program where spouses, who have never had to be the breadwinner, can be licensed and make a career move that helps support their families," Barber told the packed Pentagon briefing room here today.
In addition to Operation RE/MAX, the company is in the early stages of the Sentinels of Freedom Scholarship, a program which offers severely wounded veterans assistance with housing, transportation, education, job training and employment.
Speaking on behalf of 121,000 RE/MAX associates at offices in more than 65 countries, Gail Liniger, vice chairman of the board and co-founder of RE/MAX International, Inc., thanked ASY for allowing the agency to be "part of the team."
"America Supports You is such a wonderful organization and a tremendous resource to the military," Liniger said. "RE/MAX is so pleased we can help you with your efforts, ... and we are looking forward to working with you in the future and coming years."
Barber then introduced David S. C. Chu, the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, who told the audience that a career is the "objective of Americans who want to realize their potential."
"As many of you know, military personnel and their families move frequently, sometimes very frequently, and it's very tough in that environment if you are a military spouse to have a career," he said. "So we're very grateful RE/MAX has stepped up and targeted military spouses ... with a great support action for our military families."
Audience members were called to attention and rose to their feet to watch Chu present the Exceptional Public Service Award certificate to Liniger.
Guests on hand for the award ceremony were invited to participate in America Supports You's Military Appreciation Month Kickoff events today, including a concert in the Pentagon courtyard to honor U.S. servicemembers.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Defense Department Releases Findings of Mental Health Assessment
By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service
May 4, 2007 – The military has a robust system in place to deal with mental health issues, but longer and more frequent deployments are causing strain on servicemembers, a Defense Department study has found. The fourth Mental Health Advisory Team survey, MHAT IV as this survey was called, was conducted in August and September. For the first time, the survey included Marines in the study group. The MHAT was composed of behavioral health professionals who deployed to Iraq and surveyed soldiers, Marines, health care providers, and chaplains, Army Maj. Gen. Gale Pollock, the acting surgeon general of the Army, told reporters at the Pentagon.
The MHAT IV team found that not all soldiers and Marines deployed to Iraq are at equal risk for screening positive for a mental health symptom, and the level of combat is the main determining factor of a servicemember's mental health status, Pollock said. For soldiers, deployment length and family separation were the top non-combat deployment issues, whereas Marines had fewer non-combat deployment issues, probably because of their shorter deployment periods, she said.
The team recommended behavioral outreach efforts that focus on units that are in theater longer than six months and determined that shorter deployments or longer intervals between deployments would allow soldiers and Marines better opportunities to reset mentally before returning to combat.
Pollock said these findings contributed to the Army's decision to extend combat deployments to 15 months, because it gave the units waiting to deploy more time at their home stations. Congress has authorized the Defense Department to increase the strength the Army, she noted, which will help increase time at home between deployments for soldiers.
Fifteen-month deployments will be stressful for servicemembers, Pollock acknowledged, and that's why it's important for leaders to be trained in behavioral health issues.
"We've got more attention now on the importance of leadership, and I think that's one of the strengths that the team really identified, is that with good leadership, even when people may have a bad thought, they don't act on that thought," she said. "So it's very important that we ensure that the young leaders have the training so they know how to support the troops that depend on them."
For the first time since the MHAT program was started in 2003, this assessment included questions about battlefield ethics, Pollock said. Of those surveyed, 10 percent of soldiers and Marines reported mistreating noncombatants or damaging property when it was not necessary, she said.
The survey also found that only 47 percent of soldiers and 38 percent of Marines agreed that noncombatants should be treated with dignity and respect. More than one-third of all soldiers and Marines reported that torture should be allowed to save the life of a fellow soldier or Marine, and less than half of soldiers or Marines said they would report a team member for unethical behavior.
In the report, mistreating noncombatants was defined as either stealing from a noncombatant, destroying or damaging property when it wasn't necessary, or hitting or kicking a noncombatant.
These findings may seem alarming, Pollock said, but it is important to keep them in perspective. These troops have been seeing their friends killed and injured, and anger is a normal reaction, she said. However, what's important to note is that the troops who had these thoughts did not act on them and actually mistreat any noncombatants.
"What it speaks to is the leadership that the military is providing, because they're not acting on those thoughts," she said. "They're not torturing the people. And I think it speaks very well to the level of training that we have in the military today."
Other key findings of the report include:
-- The 2006 adjusted rate of suicides per 100,000 soldiers in Operation Iraqi Freedom was 17.3 soldiers, lower than the 19.9 rate reported in 2005, but higher than the Army average of 11.6 per 100,000 soldiers.
-- Soldiers experienced mental health problems at a higher rate than Marines.
-- Deployment length was directly linked to morale problems in the Army.
-- Leadership is key to maintaining soldier and Marine mental health.
-- Both soldiers and Marines reported at relatively high rates -- 62 and 66 percent, respectively -- that they knew someone seriously injured or killed, or that a member of their team had become a casualty.
-- Only 5 percent of soldiers reported taking in-theater rest and relaxation leave, although the average time deployed was nine months.
-- Multiple deployers reported higher acute stress than first-time deployers. Deployment length was related to higher rates of mental health problems and marital problems.
-- Current suicide prevention training is not designed for a combat environment.
-- Behavioral health providers require additional combat and operational stress-control training prior to deploying to Iraq.
Since the MHAT IV report was presented to the Multinational Force Iraq commander and service leaders in November, the Army and Marines have implemented changes to improve behavioral health care, Pollock said. The Army has revised teaching curriculum and operational training to include more focus on Army values, suicide prevention, battlefield ethics, and behavioral health awareness in all junior-leader-development courses, she said.
The Marine Corps has been developing deployment-cycle training since 2003, said Navy Capt. William P. Nash, coordinator of the Combat/Operational Stress Control Branch of the service's Manpower and Reserve Affairs directorate. Marines, leaders and families all receive training in identifying, managing and preventing mental health problems, he said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 4, 2007 – The military has a robust system in place to deal with mental health issues, but longer and more frequent deployments are causing strain on servicemembers, a Defense Department study has found. The fourth Mental Health Advisory Team survey, MHAT IV as this survey was called, was conducted in August and September. For the first time, the survey included Marines in the study group. The MHAT was composed of behavioral health professionals who deployed to Iraq and surveyed soldiers, Marines, health care providers, and chaplains, Army Maj. Gen. Gale Pollock, the acting surgeon general of the Army, told reporters at the Pentagon.
The MHAT IV team found that not all soldiers and Marines deployed to Iraq are at equal risk for screening positive for a mental health symptom, and the level of combat is the main determining factor of a servicemember's mental health status, Pollock said. For soldiers, deployment length and family separation were the top non-combat deployment issues, whereas Marines had fewer non-combat deployment issues, probably because of their shorter deployment periods, she said.
The team recommended behavioral outreach efforts that focus on units that are in theater longer than six months and determined that shorter deployments or longer intervals between deployments would allow soldiers and Marines better opportunities to reset mentally before returning to combat.
Pollock said these findings contributed to the Army's decision to extend combat deployments to 15 months, because it gave the units waiting to deploy more time at their home stations. Congress has authorized the Defense Department to increase the strength the Army, she noted, which will help increase time at home between deployments for soldiers.
Fifteen-month deployments will be stressful for servicemembers, Pollock acknowledged, and that's why it's important for leaders to be trained in behavioral health issues.
"We've got more attention now on the importance of leadership, and I think that's one of the strengths that the team really identified, is that with good leadership, even when people may have a bad thought, they don't act on that thought," she said. "So it's very important that we ensure that the young leaders have the training so they know how to support the troops that depend on them."
For the first time since the MHAT program was started in 2003, this assessment included questions about battlefield ethics, Pollock said. Of those surveyed, 10 percent of soldiers and Marines reported mistreating noncombatants or damaging property when it was not necessary, she said.
The survey also found that only 47 percent of soldiers and 38 percent of Marines agreed that noncombatants should be treated with dignity and respect. More than one-third of all soldiers and Marines reported that torture should be allowed to save the life of a fellow soldier or Marine, and less than half of soldiers or Marines said they would report a team member for unethical behavior.
In the report, mistreating noncombatants was defined as either stealing from a noncombatant, destroying or damaging property when it wasn't necessary, or hitting or kicking a noncombatant.
These findings may seem alarming, Pollock said, but it is important to keep them in perspective. These troops have been seeing their friends killed and injured, and anger is a normal reaction, she said. However, what's important to note is that the troops who had these thoughts did not act on them and actually mistreat any noncombatants.
"What it speaks to is the leadership that the military is providing, because they're not acting on those thoughts," she said. "They're not torturing the people. And I think it speaks very well to the level of training that we have in the military today."
Other key findings of the report include:
-- The 2006 adjusted rate of suicides per 100,000 soldiers in Operation Iraqi Freedom was 17.3 soldiers, lower than the 19.9 rate reported in 2005, but higher than the Army average of 11.6 per 100,000 soldiers.
-- Soldiers experienced mental health problems at a higher rate than Marines.
-- Deployment length was directly linked to morale problems in the Army.
-- Leadership is key to maintaining soldier and Marine mental health.
-- Both soldiers and Marines reported at relatively high rates -- 62 and 66 percent, respectively -- that they knew someone seriously injured or killed, or that a member of their team had become a casualty.
-- Only 5 percent of soldiers reported taking in-theater rest and relaxation leave, although the average time deployed was nine months.
-- Multiple deployers reported higher acute stress than first-time deployers. Deployment length was related to higher rates of mental health problems and marital problems.
-- Current suicide prevention training is not designed for a combat environment.
-- Behavioral health providers require additional combat and operational stress-control training prior to deploying to Iraq.
Since the MHAT IV report was presented to the Multinational Force Iraq commander and service leaders in November, the Army and Marines have implemented changes to improve behavioral health care, Pollock said. The Army has revised teaching curriculum and operational training to include more focus on Army values, suicide prevention, battlefield ethics, and behavioral health awareness in all junior-leader-development courses, she said.
The Marine Corps has been developing deployment-cycle training since 2003, said Navy Capt. William P. Nash, coordinator of the Combat/Operational Stress Control Branch of the service's Manpower and Reserve Affairs directorate. Marines, leaders and families all receive training in identifying, managing and preventing mental health problems, he said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Singer Shows Military Appreciation
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
May 4, 2007 – The Pentagon kicked off Military Appreciation Month today with the third annual "America Supports You Salute Concert," featuring local recording artist Jenny Boyle, in the national military headquarters' center courtyard. America Supports You is a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with members of the military and their families at home and abroad.
Navy Vice Adm. Nancy Brown, the Joint Staff's director for command, control, communications and computer systems, opened the concert with a welcome to guests of honor including six wounded soldiers from Walter Reed Army Medical Center here, and Rebecca Gates, wife of Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates.
Brown expressed appreciation for the Pentagon's civilian work force and the America Supports You home-front groups in attendance.
"I also want to ... thank all of the folks that work in the Pentagon, because you also are warriors supporting those that are out in Iraq and Afghanistan and all of the other places that we have folks deployed today," Brown said. "For our (home-front) groups that are here with their booths, ... for their contributions and their sacrifices in supporting our troops, thank you all very much."
The appreciation continued when Boyle and her band took the stage. The singer, who Brown had introduced as a "real hero" for her dedication to entertaining troops overseas, expressed her gratitude for the troops and civilians alike.
"There aren't enough thank yous," Boyle told the crowd. "You all are my heroes, each and every one of you."
Army Staff Sgt. Collins Roberts, one of the six Walter Reed patients in attendance, said he was grateful for Boyle's efforts to support the troops and the efforts of those like her. Roberts, who received support from America Supports You home-front groups while serving in Kuwait, said the care packages and letters from the kids kept him going.
Today's concert was just an extension of that support, he said. "She doesn't ask for anything; ... (its) just to shows appreciation for what the military does, what we do," Roberts said. "It speaks a lot of her."
Defense civilians said the concert was a nice tribute to their efforts, and a great way to spend a lunch hour.
"I think that's wonderful that people ... give back to (servicemembers)," Barbara Brown, a contractor with Syracuse Research Corporation, said. "It's really refreshing, especially on a beautiful day, good music, just to say, 'Thank You.'"
An autograph session with Boyle and her band capped the hour-long, lunchtime concert.
A declaration in 1999 encouraged U.S. citizens to observe May as Military Appreciation Month "in a symbol of unity - to honor the current and former members of the armed forces - including those who have died in the pursuit of freedom and peace."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 4, 2007 – The Pentagon kicked off Military Appreciation Month today with the third annual "America Supports You Salute Concert," featuring local recording artist Jenny Boyle, in the national military headquarters' center courtyard. America Supports You is a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with members of the military and their families at home and abroad.
Navy Vice Adm. Nancy Brown, the Joint Staff's director for command, control, communications and computer systems, opened the concert with a welcome to guests of honor including six wounded soldiers from Walter Reed Army Medical Center here, and Rebecca Gates, wife of Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates.
Brown expressed appreciation for the Pentagon's civilian work force and the America Supports You home-front groups in attendance.
"I also want to ... thank all of the folks that work in the Pentagon, because you also are warriors supporting those that are out in Iraq and Afghanistan and all of the other places that we have folks deployed today," Brown said. "For our (home-front) groups that are here with their booths, ... for their contributions and their sacrifices in supporting our troops, thank you all very much."
The appreciation continued when Boyle and her band took the stage. The singer, who Brown had introduced as a "real hero" for her dedication to entertaining troops overseas, expressed her gratitude for the troops and civilians alike.
"There aren't enough thank yous," Boyle told the crowd. "You all are my heroes, each and every one of you."
Army Staff Sgt. Collins Roberts, one of the six Walter Reed patients in attendance, said he was grateful for Boyle's efforts to support the troops and the efforts of those like her. Roberts, who received support from America Supports You home-front groups while serving in Kuwait, said the care packages and letters from the kids kept him going.
Today's concert was just an extension of that support, he said. "She doesn't ask for anything; ... (its) just to shows appreciation for what the military does, what we do," Roberts said. "It speaks a lot of her."
Defense civilians said the concert was a nice tribute to their efforts, and a great way to spend a lunch hour.
"I think that's wonderful that people ... give back to (servicemembers)," Barbara Brown, a contractor with Syracuse Research Corporation, said. "It's really refreshing, especially on a beautiful day, good music, just to say, 'Thank You.'"
An autograph session with Boyle and her band capped the hour-long, lunchtime concert.
A declaration in 1999 encouraged U.S. citizens to observe May as Military Appreciation Month "in a symbol of unity - to honor the current and former members of the armed forces - including those who have died in the pursuit of freedom and peace."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Florida Employers Cited For Support of Guard, Reserve Members
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
May 4, 2007 – Seven Sunshine State employers of National Guardsmen and reservists were honored for exemplary support of their employees during a Defense Department-hosted award ceremony here yesterday. Thomas F. Hall, assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs, was on hand to present the Above and Beyond Awards to the employers. The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a defense department agency that falls under Hall's purview, bestows the awards to employers for exceptional support of employees who are also members of the reserve components.
"Thanks to each one of you for your support," Hall told the award recipients.
Created in 1972, ESGR provides information and education for employers of National Guardsmen and reservists. Additionally, the agency can mediate potential disputes between employers and employees in the Guard or reserves.
Before the award presentations Hall discussed some recent Defense Department policy changes that, among other things, specify one-year mobilizations for reserve-component members. Before the rule change, Hall noted, Guardsmen and reservists were mobilized for 18 to 22 months of service.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates made the policy change because employers of Guardsmen and reservists were concerned that their employees were gone for too-lengthy periods of time. About 75,000 members of the National Guard and reserves are currently mobilized, he said.
The armed services now want "to spread the burden" of deployments, so as not to over-stress the active-duty force or the reserve components, he explained.
It'll take a couple of years to establish more deployment predictability, Hall acknowledged, adding that Guard and reserve forces will now be trained and deployed as complete units, rather than being mobilized in "cobbled-up" fashion.
"What we have heard is, unit cohesion is vitally important, particularly to ground-maneuver forces. So, we're going to mobilize as units," Hall said, adding that he'd like employers to provide their input about the changes.
Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale is among this year's southern Florida-region recipients of Above and Beyond awards. Luisa Gutman, executive director of human resources, was on hand to accept the award for the hospital.
"I think it's the responsibility of all employers to support the armed services," Gutman said, noting that five of the hospital's employees are currently on active military duty.
Other recipients of this year's Above and Beyond award are: Broward County Sheriff's Office, the City of Fort Lauderdale, the City of Plantation, Lauderhill Police Department, Marine Industries Inc., Nova Southeastern University, Protective Products International, and SR Technologies Inc.
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle accepted the award for his municipality. The Broward County Sheriff's Office also received an Above and Beyond award in 2006. The seven award recipients also signed Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve 5-Star Statements of Support as a symbol of their rededicated support of employees in the Guard or reserve.
The Above and Beyond award is among a series of ESGR-sponsored honors for employers providing programs and policies that exceed requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. USERRA specifies re-employment protection and other benefits for veterans and employees returning from military duty.
The National Committee for Employment Support of the Guard and Reserves' more than 4,000 volunteers located across the United States and its territories perform "a terrific job," Hall said, as advocates for good relations between employers and their military employees. The new ESGR chief, Executive Director Gordon Sumner Jr., was in attendance, Hall noted.
The award ceremony was run in conjunction with a discussion on defense issues featuring Hall; Army Reserve Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz, commander of U.S. Army Reserve Command; and Air National Guard Lt. Gen. Craig R. McKinley, director of the Air National Guard, as panel members.
"Thanks for what you are doing for our soldiers," Stultz told the employers.
Today's Guard and reserves are now part of the operational force and is expected to mobilize and deploy on a regular basis, he noted.
Guard and reserve members contribute added value to the armed forces because of their diversified and unique skills from their civilian occupations, he said. "If we're going to win this long war on terror, we're going to have to depend on the (Guard and) Reserve as part of that force," Stultz said.
Hall, Stultz and McKinley cited the importance of replenishing military equipment worn, damaged or destroyed during deployments to Afghanistan or Iraq. McKinley also highlighted the pressing need to replace old, outdated military aircraft with new models. "We've got to buy new airplanes," he emphasized, noting the average age of military aircraft is now 24 years old. "We've got men and women flying bombers and tankers that are older than they are."
Hall noted that worldwide restaurant chain McDonald's kicked off National Military Appreciation Month through its annual "National Salute to America's Heroes" that consists of "Fleet Week USA," "McDonald's Air and Sea Show" and other events held in the Fort Lauderdale area from late April into early May.
"This coming weekend, over 4 million people will be here to salute the men and women of the U.S. military and say thanks to them," said Mickey Markoff, executive producer for the McDonald's-sponsored program.
The National Salute to America's Heroes is "the largest spectator event in the world," Markoff said, noting the event is in its 13th year.
McDonald's also is among the more than 250 businesses and organizations nationwide that participate in the Defense Department's America Supports You program, which recognizes citizens' support for military men and women and communicates that support to members of the U.S. armed forces at home and abroad.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 4, 2007 – Seven Sunshine State employers of National Guardsmen and reservists were honored for exemplary support of their employees during a Defense Department-hosted award ceremony here yesterday. Thomas F. Hall, assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs, was on hand to present the Above and Beyond Awards to the employers. The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a defense department agency that falls under Hall's purview, bestows the awards to employers for exceptional support of employees who are also members of the reserve components.
"Thanks to each one of you for your support," Hall told the award recipients.
Created in 1972, ESGR provides information and education for employers of National Guardsmen and reservists. Additionally, the agency can mediate potential disputes between employers and employees in the Guard or reserves.
Before the award presentations Hall discussed some recent Defense Department policy changes that, among other things, specify one-year mobilizations for reserve-component members. Before the rule change, Hall noted, Guardsmen and reservists were mobilized for 18 to 22 months of service.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates made the policy change because employers of Guardsmen and reservists were concerned that their employees were gone for too-lengthy periods of time. About 75,000 members of the National Guard and reserves are currently mobilized, he said.
The armed services now want "to spread the burden" of deployments, so as not to over-stress the active-duty force or the reserve components, he explained.
It'll take a couple of years to establish more deployment predictability, Hall acknowledged, adding that Guard and reserve forces will now be trained and deployed as complete units, rather than being mobilized in "cobbled-up" fashion.
"What we have heard is, unit cohesion is vitally important, particularly to ground-maneuver forces. So, we're going to mobilize as units," Hall said, adding that he'd like employers to provide their input about the changes.
Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale is among this year's southern Florida-region recipients of Above and Beyond awards. Luisa Gutman, executive director of human resources, was on hand to accept the award for the hospital.
"I think it's the responsibility of all employers to support the armed services," Gutman said, noting that five of the hospital's employees are currently on active military duty.
Other recipients of this year's Above and Beyond award are: Broward County Sheriff's Office, the City of Fort Lauderdale, the City of Plantation, Lauderhill Police Department, Marine Industries Inc., Nova Southeastern University, Protective Products International, and SR Technologies Inc.
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle accepted the award for his municipality. The Broward County Sheriff's Office also received an Above and Beyond award in 2006. The seven award recipients also signed Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve 5-Star Statements of Support as a symbol of their rededicated support of employees in the Guard or reserve.
The Above and Beyond award is among a series of ESGR-sponsored honors for employers providing programs and policies that exceed requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. USERRA specifies re-employment protection and other benefits for veterans and employees returning from military duty.
The National Committee for Employment Support of the Guard and Reserves' more than 4,000 volunteers located across the United States and its territories perform "a terrific job," Hall said, as advocates for good relations between employers and their military employees. The new ESGR chief, Executive Director Gordon Sumner Jr., was in attendance, Hall noted.
The award ceremony was run in conjunction with a discussion on defense issues featuring Hall; Army Reserve Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz, commander of U.S. Army Reserve Command; and Air National Guard Lt. Gen. Craig R. McKinley, director of the Air National Guard, as panel members.
"Thanks for what you are doing for our soldiers," Stultz told the employers.
Today's Guard and reserves are now part of the operational force and is expected to mobilize and deploy on a regular basis, he noted.
Guard and reserve members contribute added value to the armed forces because of their diversified and unique skills from their civilian occupations, he said. "If we're going to win this long war on terror, we're going to have to depend on the (Guard and) Reserve as part of that force," Stultz said.
Hall, Stultz and McKinley cited the importance of replenishing military equipment worn, damaged or destroyed during deployments to Afghanistan or Iraq. McKinley also highlighted the pressing need to replace old, outdated military aircraft with new models. "We've got to buy new airplanes," he emphasized, noting the average age of military aircraft is now 24 years old. "We've got men and women flying bombers and tankers that are older than they are."
Hall noted that worldwide restaurant chain McDonald's kicked off National Military Appreciation Month through its annual "National Salute to America's Heroes" that consists of "Fleet Week USA," "McDonald's Air and Sea Show" and other events held in the Fort Lauderdale area from late April into early May.
"This coming weekend, over 4 million people will be here to salute the men and women of the U.S. military and say thanks to them," said Mickey Markoff, executive producer for the McDonald's-sponsored program.
The National Salute to America's Heroes is "the largest spectator event in the world," Markoff said, noting the event is in its 13th year.
McDonald's also is among the more than 250 businesses and organizations nationwide that participate in the Defense Department's America Supports You program, which recognizes citizens' support for military men and women and communicates that support to members of the U.S. armed forces at home and abroad.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
Top Military Installations Lauded at Pentagon
By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service
May 4, 2007 – The top installations from each of the military services and the Defense Logistics Agency were lauded today at the Pentagon for their superior mission support. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England presented the Commander in Chief's Annual Awards for Installation Excellence, highlighting the facilities' superior performance at a time when the nation faces a worldwide strategic threat from terrorism.
"This is an especially critical time for the country, and it is a time like this that requires great leadership," England said at a ceremony honoring the recipients. "It requires great leadership starting with the president of the United States and the secretary of defense and all the great people that we have in the Pentagon, but it takes leadership throughout the organization. It takes leadership at every single level of our organization and every single place in our organization."
This year's awardees were U.S. Army Garrison Japan, at Camp Zama, Japan; Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif.; Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Ga.; Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho; and Defense Supply Center Columbus, Ohio.
This was the first year that the four military installations received the award. The Defense Supply Center Columbus, however, has received the honor five times over the years. Each installation was chosen for its exemplary support of Defense Department missions and for providing excellent working, housing and recreational conditions.
England emphasized that the award is not just recognizing the leadership, but also the people who make the installations function every day. "Any time you have an opportunity to say thanks to people for a job that's extraordinarily well done, it's an opportunity you never pass up, because at the end of the day, that's what this organization's all about," he said. "It's about joint civilian-military teams; it's that teamwork behind the lines that allows our people to do their jobs at the front lines."
President Ronald Reagan created the Commander in Chief's Annual Award for Installation Excellence in 1985. The Defense Logistics Agency was added to the competition in 1988. Recipient installations receive a trophy, an "Installation Excellence" flag, and a letter signed by President Bush.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
American Forces Press Service
May 4, 2007 – The top installations from each of the military services and the Defense Logistics Agency were lauded today at the Pentagon for their superior mission support. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England presented the Commander in Chief's Annual Awards for Installation Excellence, highlighting the facilities' superior performance at a time when the nation faces a worldwide strategic threat from terrorism.
"This is an especially critical time for the country, and it is a time like this that requires great leadership," England said at a ceremony honoring the recipients. "It requires great leadership starting with the president of the United States and the secretary of defense and all the great people that we have in the Pentagon, but it takes leadership throughout the organization. It takes leadership at every single level of our organization and every single place in our organization."
This year's awardees were U.S. Army Garrison Japan, at Camp Zama, Japan; Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif.; Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Ga.; Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho; and Defense Supply Center Columbus, Ohio.
This was the first year that the four military installations received the award. The Defense Supply Center Columbus, however, has received the honor five times over the years. Each installation was chosen for its exemplary support of Defense Department missions and for providing excellent working, housing and recreational conditions.
England emphasized that the award is not just recognizing the leadership, but also the people who make the installations function every day. "Any time you have an opportunity to say thanks to people for a job that's extraordinarily well done, it's an opportunity you never pass up, because at the end of the day, that's what this organization's all about," he said. "It's about joint civilian-military teams; it's that teamwork behind the lines that allows our people to do their jobs at the front lines."
President Ronald Reagan created the Commander in Chief's Annual Award for Installation Excellence in 1985. The Defense Logistics Agency was added to the competition in 1988. Recipient installations receive a trophy, an "Installation Excellence" flag, and a letter signed by President Bush.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership as well as police and military personnel who have authored books.
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