By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 7, 2007 - Thousands have indicated their desire to commemorate the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, and support the nation's troops by walking in the third annual America Supports You Freedom Walk here Sept. 9. America Supports You is a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
"I think more than ever, our military men and women need to know that we support them," said Stephanie Linder, the national Freedom Walk coordinator. "It's really meant to just show thanks for these people that are day in and day out putting their necks on the line for our freedoms."
Today, with just hours to go before online registration closes at 6 p.m., more than 8,000 people had registered to walk from the Lincoln Memorial to the Pentagon. The walk, which will begin at 9 a.m., will conclude in the Pentagon south parking lot with a musical tribute by the Harlem Gospel Choir. Those wishing to attend the musical tribute must be registered and participate in the walk.
Across the country, 229 similar walks will be held in all 50 states and 10 countries around the world. That's nearly 100 more than last year, Linder said.
"I think that shows ... American citizens here within the country and American citizens all over the world are remembering the day ... and extending their support to our (military) men and women," she said.
The story behind each walk is as unique as the walks themselves. In Baton Rouge, La., Dani Lamona is organizing a Freedom Walk in honor of her brother Scott, a member of the U.S. Navy who died at the Pentagon.
In Bowling Green, Ohio, the terrorist attacks inspired longtime National Guardsman Chris McKinney to find his way to the Pentagon shortly after Sept. 11, 2001. Once there, he helped with rescue efforts. On Sept. 8, McKinney, his town's walk coordinator, will host a walk with the Bowling Green AM Rotary Club, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion.
In Colorado Springs, the Beacon of Hope Outreach Center is organizing its second annual Freedom Walk at the Fort Carson Army post. Participants will include Cheryl McGuiness, wife of Tom McGuiness, the pilot of American Airlines Flight 11 that hit one of the World Trade Center towers; author, radio host and comedian Ken Davis; and best-selling author Stephan Mansfield. Country singers Aaron Lines, Tammy Cochran, and the Kory Brunson Band will perform.
Linder said a lot of eyes are still on Colton Lockner, 10, who organized a Freedom Walk for his town of Sebring, Ohio, last year that drew 2,001 of the town's nearly 5,000 residents. Lockner has organized Sebring's second walk this year and has enlisted the talents of 13-year-old Nashville Star winner Jesse Galchick to perform after the walk.
"We also have another stellar student, Joey Rizzolo, who is in Paramus, N.J., who also is expecting tons of people to come out to his walk," Linder said of the 13-year-old. "He's written a book for other students on how to host their own Freedom Walks."
While the national walk is shaping up to be the largest walk by numbers, Linder said Beacon of Hope Outreach Center's walk may just be the biggest local walk this year.
More information on the national America Supports You Freedom Walk, how to participate or how to register a local walk, is available on the America Supports You Freedom Walk Web site, www.americasupportsyou.com/freedomwalk/.
Friday, September 07, 2007
NORTHCOM hosts Canada, Mexico at Pandemic Influenza Conference
By Sgt. 1st Class Gail Braymen, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
Sept. 7, 2007 - Representatives from American, Canadian and Mexican military and government agencies came to U.S. Northern Command headquarters here this week to discuss their plans and preparedness for a possible influenza pandemic. About 80 officials are attending NORTHCOM's first Tri-National Pandemic Influenza Conference.
"Pandemic influenza does not respect borders," said Francisco Averhoff, chief of quarantine and border health services at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "It's clear that it's necessary, when you talk about this disease, that we need to have a continental strategy and work together with our partners in Canada and Mexico to make sure that we can best deal with this."
Health officials cannot predict if or when a pandemic influenza will develop, but a particularly dangerous strain of avian flu known as H5N1 is being closely monitored around the world for signs it may be spreading from human to human.
"North America is a region, and we are close neighbors," said Dr. Ethel Palacios Zavala, deputy director of emergency preparedness for international health emergencies in Mexico's Ministry of Health. "This (conference) gives us an opportunity to share what we have been doing in the preparedness arena for pandemic influenza. It is also an excellent opportunity to meet face to face the people that you have been working with across the phone line or maybe an e-mail ... and have close personal contact with the other people in the region."
In a report on the North American plan for avian and pandemic influenza released in August at the North American Leaders' Summit in Montebello, Quebec, officials from Canada, Mexico and the United States committed to cooperating with mitigation efforts as much as possible. That makes NORTHCOM's timing for this conference perfect, said William Horne, secretariat of the pandemic influenza preparedness committee of Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
"It's absolutely vital the three countries get together in very close working relationships," Horne said. "It was great of NORTHCOM to host this event and bring us all together to do that sharing. It would be important anyway, but it fits so nicely with the release of that report.
"I think it's a golden opportunity for those of us to make personal contacts with other people who are working in this field."
Government and health officials are better prepared to deal with the consequences of an influenza pandemic since the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, in 2002 and 2003, Averhoff said.
"I think we had a large wake-up call with SARS," Averhoff said. "When SARS happened a few years ago, we realized that infectious diseases can transverse the world ... very quickly through air travel. And there's a need for rapid coordination of activities between countries. With that experience, I think pandemic influenza preparedness has been really unique in the way people are actually proactively trying to deal with these issues before it happens as opposed to reactively."
NORTHCOM's mission is homeland defense and civil support. The command conducts operations to deter, prevent, defeat and mitigate threats and aggression aimed at the United States, its territories and interests within the assigned area of responsibility and provides military assistance to civil authorities.
In the event of a pandemic, NORTHCOM primarily is concerned with continuity of operations and force protection. The command also expects to be asked to provide support to civil authorities.
(Army Sgt. 1st Class Gail Braymen is assigned to the combined Public Affairs Office of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Sept. 7, 2007 - Representatives from American, Canadian and Mexican military and government agencies came to U.S. Northern Command headquarters here this week to discuss their plans and preparedness for a possible influenza pandemic. About 80 officials are attending NORTHCOM's first Tri-National Pandemic Influenza Conference.
"Pandemic influenza does not respect borders," said Francisco Averhoff, chief of quarantine and border health services at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "It's clear that it's necessary, when you talk about this disease, that we need to have a continental strategy and work together with our partners in Canada and Mexico to make sure that we can best deal with this."
Health officials cannot predict if or when a pandemic influenza will develop, but a particularly dangerous strain of avian flu known as H5N1 is being closely monitored around the world for signs it may be spreading from human to human.
"North America is a region, and we are close neighbors," said Dr. Ethel Palacios Zavala, deputy director of emergency preparedness for international health emergencies in Mexico's Ministry of Health. "This (conference) gives us an opportunity to share what we have been doing in the preparedness arena for pandemic influenza. It is also an excellent opportunity to meet face to face the people that you have been working with across the phone line or maybe an e-mail ... and have close personal contact with the other people in the region."
In a report on the North American plan for avian and pandemic influenza released in August at the North American Leaders' Summit in Montebello, Quebec, officials from Canada, Mexico and the United States committed to cooperating with mitigation efforts as much as possible. That makes NORTHCOM's timing for this conference perfect, said William Horne, secretariat of the pandemic influenza preparedness committee of Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
"It's absolutely vital the three countries get together in very close working relationships," Horne said. "It was great of NORTHCOM to host this event and bring us all together to do that sharing. It would be important anyway, but it fits so nicely with the release of that report.
"I think it's a golden opportunity for those of us to make personal contacts with other people who are working in this field."
Government and health officials are better prepared to deal with the consequences of an influenza pandemic since the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, in 2002 and 2003, Averhoff said.
"I think we had a large wake-up call with SARS," Averhoff said. "When SARS happened a few years ago, we realized that infectious diseases can transverse the world ... very quickly through air travel. And there's a need for rapid coordination of activities between countries. With that experience, I think pandemic influenza preparedness has been really unique in the way people are actually proactively trying to deal with these issues before it happens as opposed to reactively."
NORTHCOM's mission is homeland defense and civil support. The command conducts operations to deter, prevent, defeat and mitigate threats and aggression aimed at the United States, its territories and interests within the assigned area of responsibility and provides military assistance to civil authorities.
In the event of a pandemic, NORTHCOM primarily is concerned with continuity of operations and force protection. The command also expects to be asked to provide support to civil authorities.
(Army Sgt. 1st Class Gail Braymen is assigned to the combined Public Affairs Office of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command.)
Thursday, September 06, 2007
New Hampshire State Police to Receive Employer-Support Freedom Award
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 5, 2007 - The New Hampshire State Police will receive the Defense Department's top employer-support award for the exceptional financial and emotional support it provides law enforcement officers who deploy as National Guard or reserve members. New Hampshire State Police Capt. Stephen Barrett, an Army reservist who embedded with and trained elements of the Afghan National Army from August 2004 to July 2005, nominated his employer because of the unwavering support the organization demonstrated during his deployment. The New Hampshire State Police is one of 15 companies or organizations slated to receive the Secretary of Defense Freedom Award during a ceremony at the Ronald Reagan Building here Sept. 12.
While deployed, Barrett said, the police force continued to cover his and his families' medical and dental insurance and financed various other benefits in his absence. Because Barrett's military salary was lower than his police salary, New Hampshire State Police made up the difference, reimbursing all income lost.
As he supported Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, one of Barrett's colleagues on the police force made sure Barrett's wife and two young children were managing well. "In my case, there's a neighbor who's a (state) trooper, so he was checking on the house and was available if needed," said Barrett, noting that such support alleviated some of the stress that stemmed from being away from home.
To keep him abreast of New Hampshire news, Barrett said, he exchanged e-mails frequently with his boss and fellow police officers. And when he received care packages, birthday and Christmas gifts from coworkers back home, Barrett said, it reminded him that he wasn't forgotten by his buddies on the force.
"In a way, it brought home there," he said. "The (sense of) belongingness was still there."
Barrett said knowing that he had a job with New Hampshire State Police when he returned from deployment gave him one less thing to worry about. When he and other reservists and National Guard members came home after their tour, they were greeted with a hero's welcome.
In keeping with New Hampshire State Police tradition, a half dozen troopers provided a special reception for the returning veterans, driving them in a police escort from the Massachusetts state line back home to New Hampshire.
"The state police has been here for us and for the other deploying members every step along the way," Barrett said.
The Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award recognizes U.S. employers that rise above the requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Defense Department agency, manages the award process. ESGR assists Guard and Reserve members and their employers understand employee eligibility and job entitlements, employer obligations, benefits and remedies under the act.
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 5, 2007 - The New Hampshire State Police will receive the Defense Department's top employer-support award for the exceptional financial and emotional support it provides law enforcement officers who deploy as National Guard or reserve members. New Hampshire State Police Capt. Stephen Barrett, an Army reservist who embedded with and trained elements of the Afghan National Army from August 2004 to July 2005, nominated his employer because of the unwavering support the organization demonstrated during his deployment. The New Hampshire State Police is one of 15 companies or organizations slated to receive the Secretary of Defense Freedom Award during a ceremony at the Ronald Reagan Building here Sept. 12.
While deployed, Barrett said, the police force continued to cover his and his families' medical and dental insurance and financed various other benefits in his absence. Because Barrett's military salary was lower than his police salary, New Hampshire State Police made up the difference, reimbursing all income lost.
As he supported Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, one of Barrett's colleagues on the police force made sure Barrett's wife and two young children were managing well. "In my case, there's a neighbor who's a (state) trooper, so he was checking on the house and was available if needed," said Barrett, noting that such support alleviated some of the stress that stemmed from being away from home.
To keep him abreast of New Hampshire news, Barrett said, he exchanged e-mails frequently with his boss and fellow police officers. And when he received care packages, birthday and Christmas gifts from coworkers back home, Barrett said, it reminded him that he wasn't forgotten by his buddies on the force.
"In a way, it brought home there," he said. "The (sense of) belongingness was still there."
Barrett said knowing that he had a job with New Hampshire State Police when he returned from deployment gave him one less thing to worry about. When he and other reservists and National Guard members came home after their tour, they were greeted with a hero's welcome.
In keeping with New Hampshire State Police tradition, a half dozen troopers provided a special reception for the returning veterans, driving them in a police escort from the Massachusetts state line back home to New Hampshire.
"The state police has been here for us and for the other deploying members every step along the way," Barrett said.
The Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award recognizes U.S. employers that rise above the requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Defense Department agency, manages the award process. ESGR assists Guard and Reserve members and their employers understand employee eligibility and job entitlements, employer obligations, benefits and remedies under the act.
Pace Thanks World War II Marines for Setting Standard for Today's Troops
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 6, 2007 - Marine Gen. Peter Pace last night thanked veterans of the storied 4th Marine Division who fought in Iwo Jima and other major World War II battles for setting the example for today's troops and demonstrating why they'll never fail in combat. Pace, the first Marine to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, thanked members of the 4th Marine Division Association gathered here for their 60th reunion for preserving the freedoms he and other Americans were lucky to be born into.
The "Fighting Fourth" fought "incredible battles" in Roi-Namur, Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima, Pace said. During 63 days of combat over the course of two years, the division suffered staggering casualties: 17,722 killed and wounded.
The unit's perseverance through the bloody Pacific battles has become part of the heritage left to today's Marines and an example for them to live up to, the chairman said.
He shared impressions from his visit earlier this week to Iraq, where he met with U.S. troops wearing the Marine Corps' eagle, globe and anchor insignia "as proudly as you do and I do."
"Allow me to report to you, very, very freshly, that your corps and the lance corporals and corporals and sergeants and second and first lieutenants and captains who make the decisions that make the difference are as good at what they do as you were at what you did," Pace told the group.
"You can be proud of them. I sure am," he said. "And I am happy to report to you as a fellow Marine that our corps is in great hands."
Like the 4th Marine Division before them, today's Marines are putting their lives on the line to protect the same freedoms, Pace said.
"And as you deserve every bit to be known as 'the greatest generation,' I honestly believe that these young Marines -- these 18- and 19- and 20-year-old Marines today -- will go down in history as another great generation that saved our country from a threat that is not yet fully understood for what it is," he said.
Pace called current debate about whether the United States should be in a war at all "misunderstood."
"We didn't know we were in a war until Sept. 11, 2001, even though our enemy had declared war on us several years before," he said. "As long as you have an enemy who is trying to destroy your way of life, you are in a war. If they are trying to kill you, you are in a war.
"So the discussion is not whether we are going to be in a war or not," he said. "The discussion is about where we are going to stand and fight."
Today's troops know what's at stake for their country as they stand and fight the war against violent extremism, Pace said.
They also understand the cost of their service to their families, their units and themselves.
Pace recalled the sense of fear he personally faced serving as a platoon leader in Vietnam. "Marines know fear," he said. "But what we fear more than physical danger is that somehow we will let down the Marine on our left or the Marine on our right, or worse, that we will let down the heritage of our corps that we have inherited from those who have gone before us."
The chairman thanked the 4th Marine Division members for their service to the country and the legacy they left to the Marines who have followed in their footsteps. "Thank you ... for the strength, vigor, (and) vitality of your corps, because it is you who we do not want to ever let down," he said.
Claire Chaffin, national president of the 4th Marine Division Association, praised Pace for recognizing the similarities between what he and his fellow Marines confronted in the Pacific during World War II and what troops are facing today in the Middle East.
"It was important that he drew a comparison between Marines of the Second World War who kept the enemy from our shores and paid tribute to the troops doing the same thing today," he said.
A corpsman who joined the division at age 17 and fought in all four of its major battles, Chaffin said many of the tactics his unit used still serve as textbook examples for today's troops.
But despite similarities, he said, there are striking differences between what his unit and today's Marines face. "They don't know the enemy. He can pat you on the back, then shoot you," he said. "So in some ways, this is a very different kind of war."
What's remained constant, said Herb Hertensteiner of St. Charles, Mo., are the basic characteristics every Marine possesses -- whether they're serving in Iraq today or served with the 4th Marine Division more than 60 years ago.
"Everyone knows his job, and they never forget who they are," said 81-year-old Hertensteiner, who retired with 20 years in the Marine Corps. "I'm still a Marine. And no matter what happens, they're Marines, too."
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 6, 2007 - Marine Gen. Peter Pace last night thanked veterans of the storied 4th Marine Division who fought in Iwo Jima and other major World War II battles for setting the example for today's troops and demonstrating why they'll never fail in combat. Pace, the first Marine to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, thanked members of the 4th Marine Division Association gathered here for their 60th reunion for preserving the freedoms he and other Americans were lucky to be born into.
The "Fighting Fourth" fought "incredible battles" in Roi-Namur, Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima, Pace said. During 63 days of combat over the course of two years, the division suffered staggering casualties: 17,722 killed and wounded.
The unit's perseverance through the bloody Pacific battles has become part of the heritage left to today's Marines and an example for them to live up to, the chairman said.
He shared impressions from his visit earlier this week to Iraq, where he met with U.S. troops wearing the Marine Corps' eagle, globe and anchor insignia "as proudly as you do and I do."
"Allow me to report to you, very, very freshly, that your corps and the lance corporals and corporals and sergeants and second and first lieutenants and captains who make the decisions that make the difference are as good at what they do as you were at what you did," Pace told the group.
"You can be proud of them. I sure am," he said. "And I am happy to report to you as a fellow Marine that our corps is in great hands."
Like the 4th Marine Division before them, today's Marines are putting their lives on the line to protect the same freedoms, Pace said.
"And as you deserve every bit to be known as 'the greatest generation,' I honestly believe that these young Marines -- these 18- and 19- and 20-year-old Marines today -- will go down in history as another great generation that saved our country from a threat that is not yet fully understood for what it is," he said.
Pace called current debate about whether the United States should be in a war at all "misunderstood."
"We didn't know we were in a war until Sept. 11, 2001, even though our enemy had declared war on us several years before," he said. "As long as you have an enemy who is trying to destroy your way of life, you are in a war. If they are trying to kill you, you are in a war.
"So the discussion is not whether we are going to be in a war or not," he said. "The discussion is about where we are going to stand and fight."
Today's troops know what's at stake for their country as they stand and fight the war against violent extremism, Pace said.
They also understand the cost of their service to their families, their units and themselves.
Pace recalled the sense of fear he personally faced serving as a platoon leader in Vietnam. "Marines know fear," he said. "But what we fear more than physical danger is that somehow we will let down the Marine on our left or the Marine on our right, or worse, that we will let down the heritage of our corps that we have inherited from those who have gone before us."
The chairman thanked the 4th Marine Division members for their service to the country and the legacy they left to the Marines who have followed in their footsteps. "Thank you ... for the strength, vigor, (and) vitality of your corps, because it is you who we do not want to ever let down," he said.
Claire Chaffin, national president of the 4th Marine Division Association, praised Pace for recognizing the similarities between what he and his fellow Marines confronted in the Pacific during World War II and what troops are facing today in the Middle East.
"It was important that he drew a comparison between Marines of the Second World War who kept the enemy from our shores and paid tribute to the troops doing the same thing today," he said.
A corpsman who joined the division at age 17 and fought in all four of its major battles, Chaffin said many of the tactics his unit used still serve as textbook examples for today's troops.
But despite similarities, he said, there are striking differences between what his unit and today's Marines face. "They don't know the enemy. He can pat you on the back, then shoot you," he said. "So in some ways, this is a very different kind of war."
What's remained constant, said Herb Hertensteiner of St. Charles, Mo., are the basic characteristics every Marine possesses -- whether they're serving in Iraq today or served with the 4th Marine Division more than 60 years ago.
"Everyone knows his job, and they never forget who they are," said 81-year-old Hertensteiner, who retired with 20 years in the Marine Corps. "I'm still a Marine. And no matter what happens, they're Marines, too."
Air Force Investigates Alleged Nuke Transfer, Pentagon Spokesman Says
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 6, 2007 - The Pentagon is awaiting results of an Air Force investigation into the alleged improper transfer of weapons by air from a base in North Dakota to a Louisiana military installation last week. News reports say several nuclear-tipped cruise missiles were mistakenly attached to the wing of a B-52 bomber, which then flew for more than three hours across several states. Media reports state the aircrew did not know nuclear weapons were aboard.
"The Air Force is currently investigating an error made last Thursday in the transfer of munitions ... from Minot Air Force Base to Barksdale Air Force Base aboard a B-52 Stratofortress," Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell told reporters at a news conference here yesterday.
However, citing long-standing Defense Department policy, Morrell did not confirm nuclear weapons were involved in the incident.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates "was quickly informed" of the Aug. 30 incident, Morrell said. He added that Gates has been getting daily briefings from senior Air Force leaders on the progress of the investigation.
The incident was of sufficient importance "that President Bush was notified of it," Morrell said.
Gen. T. Michael Moseley, the Air Force's chief of staff, has assured Gates that the munitions in question were under proper supervision at all times and that "at no time was the public in danger," Morrell reported.
He said he wasn't aware if any disciplinary action was taken against Air Force personnel as a result of the incident.
The Air Force's investigative report of the incident should be delivered to Gates "by the end of next week," Morrell said.
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 6, 2007 - The Pentagon is awaiting results of an Air Force investigation into the alleged improper transfer of weapons by air from a base in North Dakota to a Louisiana military installation last week. News reports say several nuclear-tipped cruise missiles were mistakenly attached to the wing of a B-52 bomber, which then flew for more than three hours across several states. Media reports state the aircrew did not know nuclear weapons were aboard.
"The Air Force is currently investigating an error made last Thursday in the transfer of munitions ... from Minot Air Force Base to Barksdale Air Force Base aboard a B-52 Stratofortress," Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell told reporters at a news conference here yesterday.
However, citing long-standing Defense Department policy, Morrell did not confirm nuclear weapons were involved in the incident.
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates "was quickly informed" of the Aug. 30 incident, Morrell said. He added that Gates has been getting daily briefings from senior Air Force leaders on the progress of the investigation.
The incident was of sufficient importance "that President Bush was notified of it," Morrell said.
Gen. T. Michael Moseley, the Air Force's chief of staff, has assured Gates that the munitions in question were under proper supervision at all times and that "at no time was the public in danger," Morrell reported.
He said he wasn't aware if any disciplinary action was taken against Air Force personnel as a result of the incident.
The Air Force's investigative report of the incident should be delivered to Gates "by the end of next week," Morrell said.
Tours to Offer Rare Glimpse of Pentagon to Public
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 6, 2007 - As it has for the past two years to mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Pentagon will open its doors Sept. 8 and 9 for brief public tours. The tours, part of Sept. 11 commemorative events that include the Sept. 9 America Supports You Freedom Walk, will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 8 and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 9, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Joshua Hodgin, director of the Pentagon's tour program, said.
America Supports You is a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
"(It's) going to be a tour of the crash site area and the indoor memorial," Hodgin said. He also noted that the chapel adjacent to the indoor memorial will be open as well.
Visitors will have the chance to view the indoor memorial and the site of the outdoor memorial. The site, now under construction, will honor passengers and Pentagon employees killed when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the building.
"It's to kind of take you back to remember what actually happened that day," Hodgin said. "When you go into the memorial, all those memories (and) where people were that day, all that comes back.
"For people to reflect on that is very important for our nation to understand why it is we're overseas and why our troops are over there doing what they're doing," he added.
Tour guides will be on hand to direct visitors to the tour's starting point at the 3rd Corridor entrance, where they'll pass through a quick security scan, Hodgin said.
Small bags will go through an X-ray machine, and large bags are not allowed to be carried on the tour. Also, once in the building, the use of restrooms and drinking fountains will not be allowed, nor will the use of any electronic devices, including cell phones or cameras.
Metro Rail is the suggested method of transportation for those wishing to take the tour, as parking on the Pentagon reservation is restricted.
"We're easily expecting 5,000 people to come through over the weekend," said Marine Maj. Chris Devine, officer in charge of the Pentagon tour program.
He said that expectation is on par with last year's numbers.
"It's a great opportunity to see the 9/11 memorial and the chapel and see what we're doing," he said.
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 6, 2007 - As it has for the past two years to mark the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Pentagon will open its doors Sept. 8 and 9 for brief public tours. The tours, part of Sept. 11 commemorative events that include the Sept. 9 America Supports You Freedom Walk, will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 8 and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 9, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Joshua Hodgin, director of the Pentagon's tour program, said.
America Supports You is a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
"(It's) going to be a tour of the crash site area and the indoor memorial," Hodgin said. He also noted that the chapel adjacent to the indoor memorial will be open as well.
Visitors will have the chance to view the indoor memorial and the site of the outdoor memorial. The site, now under construction, will honor passengers and Pentagon employees killed when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the building.
"It's to kind of take you back to remember what actually happened that day," Hodgin said. "When you go into the memorial, all those memories (and) where people were that day, all that comes back.
"For people to reflect on that is very important for our nation to understand why it is we're overseas and why our troops are over there doing what they're doing," he added.
Tour guides will be on hand to direct visitors to the tour's starting point at the 3rd Corridor entrance, where they'll pass through a quick security scan, Hodgin said.
Small bags will go through an X-ray machine, and large bags are not allowed to be carried on the tour. Also, once in the building, the use of restrooms and drinking fountains will not be allowed, nor will the use of any electronic devices, including cell phones or cameras.
Metro Rail is the suggested method of transportation for those wishing to take the tour, as parking on the Pentagon reservation is restricted.
"We're easily expecting 5,000 people to come through over the weekend," said Marine Maj. Chris Devine, officer in charge of the Pentagon tour program.
He said that expectation is on par with last year's numbers.
"It's a great opportunity to see the 9/11 memorial and the chapel and see what we're doing," he said.
Combat Lifesaver Course Trains Soldiers to Save Lives on Battlefield
By Pfc. April Campbell, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
Sept. 6, 2007 - When soldiers are wounded in combat, the most immediate medical care available generally is given by other soldiers on the battlefield, most of whom are not combat medics. Many soldiers training here are taking the Combat Lifesaver Course offered by the 205th Infantry Brigade to prepare them for such situations.
"I'm helping a soldier save a life," said Sgt. Stacey N. Edwards, a Combat Lifesaver instructor with 205th Infantry Brigade. "In Iraq and Afghanistan, nine out of 10 times, a combat lifesaver will be able to treat a wounded soldier before a medic will. Skills we are teaching them here save lives over there."
The Army requires 20 percent of personnel in each unit to be Combat Lifesaver certified, said Sgt. Clint Higgins, another instructor.
The four-day course involves 40 hours of training from soldiers who are combat medics. Eight hours of the course are taught in the warrior training course at Forward Operating Base Bayonet, on Camp Atterbury, said Sgt. Chris W. Rhea, an instructor.
The three main areas of preventable combat deaths addressed in the course are bleeding out, lung collapse and airway blockage. Nearly 90 percent of combat deaths are due to these types of wounds, said instructor Sgt. Anthony Bussing.
If the Combat Lifesaver-certified soldiers can initially treat these wounds, it helps medics save more lives on the battlefield by enabling wounded soldiers to stay alive until medics can treat them. The Combat Lifesaver course here not only teaches soldiers these skills, but also adds the stresses of a combat environment into the training, Bussing added.
In the final exercise of the course, soldiers break into teams and practice their skills on each other in a simulated combat environment. Soldiers must wear their individual body armor, and those soldiers who are mobilizing must also carry their weapons.
In addition to the body armor and weapons, the exercise also incorporates old uniforms for "casualties" to wear to make the training as realistic as possible. "We've been donated old uniforms," Rhea said. "It adds to the realism, because the students have to expose the (simulated) wound by cutting through the clothing."
After completing the course, soldiers become more confident in their ability to keep their fellow soldiers alive if they are hurt on the battlefield.
"If I have to perform the CLS tasks, I know what needs to be done," said Staff Sgt. Gregory Dumas Jr., a human resources specialist with 2nd Battalion, 337th Infantry Regiment (Training Support Battalion), 205th Infantry Brigade. "I won't be so nervous, because the hands-on training was very realistic."
During the final exercise, students also practice inserting intravenous lines into each other to get hands-on experience.
"I know that I have seen improvement in my ability to initialize an IV since ... we practiced it in the classroom," Dumas said.
(Army Pfc. April Campbell is assigned to the 113th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Sept. 6, 2007 - When soldiers are wounded in combat, the most immediate medical care available generally is given by other soldiers on the battlefield, most of whom are not combat medics. Many soldiers training here are taking the Combat Lifesaver Course offered by the 205th Infantry Brigade to prepare them for such situations.
"I'm helping a soldier save a life," said Sgt. Stacey N. Edwards, a Combat Lifesaver instructor with 205th Infantry Brigade. "In Iraq and Afghanistan, nine out of 10 times, a combat lifesaver will be able to treat a wounded soldier before a medic will. Skills we are teaching them here save lives over there."
The Army requires 20 percent of personnel in each unit to be Combat Lifesaver certified, said Sgt. Clint Higgins, another instructor.
The four-day course involves 40 hours of training from soldiers who are combat medics. Eight hours of the course are taught in the warrior training course at Forward Operating Base Bayonet, on Camp Atterbury, said Sgt. Chris W. Rhea, an instructor.
The three main areas of preventable combat deaths addressed in the course are bleeding out, lung collapse and airway blockage. Nearly 90 percent of combat deaths are due to these types of wounds, said instructor Sgt. Anthony Bussing.
If the Combat Lifesaver-certified soldiers can initially treat these wounds, it helps medics save more lives on the battlefield by enabling wounded soldiers to stay alive until medics can treat them. The Combat Lifesaver course here not only teaches soldiers these skills, but also adds the stresses of a combat environment into the training, Bussing added.
In the final exercise of the course, soldiers break into teams and practice their skills on each other in a simulated combat environment. Soldiers must wear their individual body armor, and those soldiers who are mobilizing must also carry their weapons.
In addition to the body armor and weapons, the exercise also incorporates old uniforms for "casualties" to wear to make the training as realistic as possible. "We've been donated old uniforms," Rhea said. "It adds to the realism, because the students have to expose the (simulated) wound by cutting through the clothing."
After completing the course, soldiers become more confident in their ability to keep their fellow soldiers alive if they are hurt on the battlefield.
"If I have to perform the CLS tasks, I know what needs to be done," said Staff Sgt. Gregory Dumas Jr., a human resources specialist with 2nd Battalion, 337th Infantry Regiment (Training Support Battalion), 205th Infantry Brigade. "I won't be so nervous, because the hands-on training was very realistic."
During the final exercise, students also practice inserting intravenous lines into each other to get hands-on experience.
"I know that I have seen improvement in my ability to initialize an IV since ... we practiced it in the classroom," Dumas said.
(Army Pfc. April Campbell is assigned to the 113th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)
DoD CIO Posts Architectural Vision for Global Information Grid
The Department of Defense's Global Information Grid (GIG) architectural vision is now available on-line at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration and DoD Chief Information Officer Web site.
The document provides details on the department's vision for its future information technology enterprise and was signed by John G. Grimes, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration and DoD Chief Information Officer.
According to Grimes, the department's goal in establishing the GIG architectural vision is to promote unity of effort among those responsible for evolving today's GIG to its target state, including component CIOs, portfolio managers, and architects.
The GIG is formally defined in existing DoD policy and described in the architectural vision. It is the combination of people, processes, and technology used for collecting, processing, storing, disseminating, and managing information throughout the DoD. It includes all departmental communications and computing systems and the interfaces to non-DoD mission partners. The GIG supports all DoD personnel and organizations, the missions, operations, and functions they perform, and the ability to exchange information within the department and with external mission partners.
The GIG architectural vision is one part of the DoD enterprise architecture - the part that describes the desired future state of the GIG. Other parts of the enterprise architecture include a description of the current information environment and capabilities and plans and strategies to achieve the transformation described in the GIG architectural vision.
"The GIG architectural vision is designed to be a short, high level, description of the department's objective enterprise architecture," said Grimes. "It will evolve to reflect operational, systems, and technical changes to the target GIG."
The GIG architectural vision is available on the DoD CIO Web site at http://www.defenselink.mil/cio-nii/.
The document provides details on the department's vision for its future information technology enterprise and was signed by John G. Grimes, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration and DoD Chief Information Officer.
According to Grimes, the department's goal in establishing the GIG architectural vision is to promote unity of effort among those responsible for evolving today's GIG to its target state, including component CIOs, portfolio managers, and architects.
The GIG is formally defined in existing DoD policy and described in the architectural vision. It is the combination of people, processes, and technology used for collecting, processing, storing, disseminating, and managing information throughout the DoD. It includes all departmental communications and computing systems and the interfaces to non-DoD mission partners. The GIG supports all DoD personnel and organizations, the missions, operations, and functions they perform, and the ability to exchange information within the department and with external mission partners.
The GIG architectural vision is one part of the DoD enterprise architecture - the part that describes the desired future state of the GIG. Other parts of the enterprise architecture include a description of the current information environment and capabilities and plans and strategies to achieve the transformation described in the GIG architectural vision.
"The GIG architectural vision is designed to be a short, high level, description of the department's objective enterprise architecture," said Grimes. "It will evolve to reflect operational, systems, and technical changes to the target GIG."
The GIG architectural vision is available on the DoD CIO Web site at http://www.defenselink.mil/cio-nii/.
Pace: Iraq Meeting Demonstrates Country's Leaders Committed to Success
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 6, 2007 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told Marine veterans here last night that he believes Iraq's leaders know what it will take for their government to succeed. "It was clear to me that those leaders fully grasped the need for reconciliation," Marine Gen. Peter Pace told 4th Marine Division Association members here for their 60th reunion.
Pace shared with the World War II veterans his impressions of President Bush's Sept. 3 meeting at Iraq's Al Asad Air Base with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, President Jalal Talabani, Vice President Tariq al Hashimi, Vice President Adil Abd al-Mahdi, and Massoud Barzani, president of the semiautonomous Kurdish region.
The session was Bush's last assembly of his top military advisors and Iraqi leaders before making a decision about the way forward in Iraq. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker are slated to deliver their long-anticipated assessment about conditions on the ground early next week.
Pace said he got a clear indication that the Iraqis know they can't progress effectively without sewing rifts among the country's factions.
During last night's session with the Marine veterans, Pace compared some of the challenges the Iraqi government is facing -- particularly its effort to balance the interests of its three major sects -- to the states' rights issues the United States has confronted throughout its history.
Iraq's government is moving more slowly than U.S. leaders had hoped to reach many of benchmarks critical for reconciliation to move forward, Pace conceded. However, he noted that in some cases, concrete developments are moving ahead of the legislation that would promote them.
"Although they are having a hard time right now passing legislation that says 'We will share oil revenues,' they are actually sharing oil revenues on a per capita basis," the chairman said. "They are having a hard time saying they will have reconciliation, but they just went out and did a complete scrub of all the former officers and NCOs in their army to see which of those might like to come back in and serve, as long as they weren't criminals when they were in the army in the first place.
"So some of the things we are looking for them to do legislatively, they ... very much are doing on a day-to-day, practical-living basis," he said.
Establishing a basic level of trust needed for the government and the country to succeed has proven to be a huge challenge for Iraqis. Pace pointed to the decades of terror under former dictator Saddam Hussein that left deep, divisive scars.
"I'm not saying we should be patient forever," he said. "But we do need to understand that these folks are trying to go from 35 years of terror, where anybody who was a promising leader was killed and families were encouraged to turn against each other, ... and trying to rebuild trust is taking them some time.
"I'm not making excuses for them," he said. "There is work to be done, and they need to get on with it."
Pace pointed to signs of progress that give "the hope factor." For example, security in Anbar province was terrible a year ago, until local sheikhs grew weary of al Qaeda hatred and violence and decided to team up with U.S. and Iraqi forces to fight it.
"The change is incredible in al Anbar province because of that leadership," Pace told the group. "That tells me that the people -- whether Sunni, Shiia or Kurd -- will listen to their elected and religious leaders. And if they can come together and lead the way the sheikhs have in al Anbar, they can have a huge impact very quickly."
He shared his personal experiences in two other Iraqi cities considered very dangerous until only recently. Pace walked through a marketplace in Ramadi in July wearing a flak vest but unarmed. Earlier this week, as he visited Company G, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, the Marine unit in which he led a platoon in Vietnam, Pace witnessed the turnaround those Marines helped bring about in Karmah.
Pace said these developments show that many Iraqis "do get it" in terms of what they need to do to move ahead. "And we need more of them to get it so we can bring our guys and gals home and let them live in the country they want to live in," he said.
The war has been difficult for the American people and a strain on the military, he conceded. He noted that the roughly 1 percent of Americans who serve in the armed forces is defending the other 99 percent of the country, requiring multiple deployments for many servicemembers.
It's also made it relatively easy for most Americans to go on with their day-to-day lives without giving much thought to the threat violent extremists pose, he said.
Pace noted the Catch-22 the war on terror has created. While ensuring that terrorists haven't succeeded in attacking the country again since Sept. 11, 2001, it's also left some Americans wondering if the threat has simply gone away.
The chairman emphasized it hasn't. Terrorists are patient people, and they've made it clear that they're willing to wait out the United States and the coalition in Iraq with their 100-year plan, he said. "We are fighting against an enemy that is not going to give up just because they lost here or they lost there," he said.
The United States didn't listen when Adolph Hitler spelled out his intentions in his book "Mein Kampf" before World War II, Pace told the group of veterans who fought that war. But today, he said, the country needs to learn from that mistake and listen to al Qaeda's stated intentions to destroy the American way of life.
"I have absolute faith that our nation will understand the true nature of this threat and will do all that we need to do to defend ourselves," Pace said. "We are going to stand and fight. I have absolute faith in this nation in the long term to understand the threat to our existence and do to what we must do."
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 6, 2007 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told Marine veterans here last night that he believes Iraq's leaders know what it will take for their government to succeed. "It was clear to me that those leaders fully grasped the need for reconciliation," Marine Gen. Peter Pace told 4th Marine Division Association members here for their 60th reunion.
Pace shared with the World War II veterans his impressions of President Bush's Sept. 3 meeting at Iraq's Al Asad Air Base with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, President Jalal Talabani, Vice President Tariq al Hashimi, Vice President Adil Abd al-Mahdi, and Massoud Barzani, president of the semiautonomous Kurdish region.
The session was Bush's last assembly of his top military advisors and Iraqi leaders before making a decision about the way forward in Iraq. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker are slated to deliver their long-anticipated assessment about conditions on the ground early next week.
Pace said he got a clear indication that the Iraqis know they can't progress effectively without sewing rifts among the country's factions.
During last night's session with the Marine veterans, Pace compared some of the challenges the Iraqi government is facing -- particularly its effort to balance the interests of its three major sects -- to the states' rights issues the United States has confronted throughout its history.
Iraq's government is moving more slowly than U.S. leaders had hoped to reach many of benchmarks critical for reconciliation to move forward, Pace conceded. However, he noted that in some cases, concrete developments are moving ahead of the legislation that would promote them.
"Although they are having a hard time right now passing legislation that says 'We will share oil revenues,' they are actually sharing oil revenues on a per capita basis," the chairman said. "They are having a hard time saying they will have reconciliation, but they just went out and did a complete scrub of all the former officers and NCOs in their army to see which of those might like to come back in and serve, as long as they weren't criminals when they were in the army in the first place.
"So some of the things we are looking for them to do legislatively, they ... very much are doing on a day-to-day, practical-living basis," he said.
Establishing a basic level of trust needed for the government and the country to succeed has proven to be a huge challenge for Iraqis. Pace pointed to the decades of terror under former dictator Saddam Hussein that left deep, divisive scars.
"I'm not saying we should be patient forever," he said. "But we do need to understand that these folks are trying to go from 35 years of terror, where anybody who was a promising leader was killed and families were encouraged to turn against each other, ... and trying to rebuild trust is taking them some time.
"I'm not making excuses for them," he said. "There is work to be done, and they need to get on with it."
Pace pointed to signs of progress that give "the hope factor." For example, security in Anbar province was terrible a year ago, until local sheikhs grew weary of al Qaeda hatred and violence and decided to team up with U.S. and Iraqi forces to fight it.
"The change is incredible in al Anbar province because of that leadership," Pace told the group. "That tells me that the people -- whether Sunni, Shiia or Kurd -- will listen to their elected and religious leaders. And if they can come together and lead the way the sheikhs have in al Anbar, they can have a huge impact very quickly."
He shared his personal experiences in two other Iraqi cities considered very dangerous until only recently. Pace walked through a marketplace in Ramadi in July wearing a flak vest but unarmed. Earlier this week, as he visited Company G, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, the Marine unit in which he led a platoon in Vietnam, Pace witnessed the turnaround those Marines helped bring about in Karmah.
Pace said these developments show that many Iraqis "do get it" in terms of what they need to do to move ahead. "And we need more of them to get it so we can bring our guys and gals home and let them live in the country they want to live in," he said.
The war has been difficult for the American people and a strain on the military, he conceded. He noted that the roughly 1 percent of Americans who serve in the armed forces is defending the other 99 percent of the country, requiring multiple deployments for many servicemembers.
It's also made it relatively easy for most Americans to go on with their day-to-day lives without giving much thought to the threat violent extremists pose, he said.
Pace noted the Catch-22 the war on terror has created. While ensuring that terrorists haven't succeeded in attacking the country again since Sept. 11, 2001, it's also left some Americans wondering if the threat has simply gone away.
The chairman emphasized it hasn't. Terrorists are patient people, and they've made it clear that they're willing to wait out the United States and the coalition in Iraq with their 100-year plan, he said. "We are fighting against an enemy that is not going to give up just because they lost here or they lost there," he said.
The United States didn't listen when Adolph Hitler spelled out his intentions in his book "Mein Kampf" before World War II, Pace told the group of veterans who fought that war. But today, he said, the country needs to learn from that mistake and listen to al Qaeda's stated intentions to destroy the American way of life.
"I have absolute faith that our nation will understand the true nature of this threat and will do all that we need to do to defend ourselves," Pace said. "We are going to stand and fight. I have absolute faith in this nation in the long term to understand the threat to our existence and do to what we must do."
Law Enforcement Technology
Editor's Note: Many of these technologies are adapted from military use or adapted to military use. Moreover, many of the law enforcement agencies are using these technologies for homeland security, all hazards as well as counterterrorism missions.
NLECTC Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology News Summary
Thursday, September 6, 2007
"City Looks at $40M Police Headquarters"
Waukegan News Sun (IL) (09/04/07); Peterson, Craig
The Waukegan, Ill., City Council is considering design plans for a new headquarters for its police. A five-floor building with communications, training, investigations, records, evidence processing, and office space is thought to cost around $40 million. A police headquarters outfitted with the modern crime-fighting devices is the most sophisticated and costly facility any municipal government will construct, architects have informed aldermen. While initially, plans had called for redoing the previous city hall facility or constructing on an adjacent location, Police Chief Bill Biang explained that seven architectural companies studied refurbishing the present facility and all said it was not a good idea. Biang added there is no room to expand horizontally, and the building cannot support adding floors to it. He also stated that acquiring land would counter the savings of redoing the facility. The council may use a referendum to pay for the new police headquarters. http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/
news/540363,5_1_WA04_WAUKEGANCOPS_S1.article
"A High-Tech Helping Hand for Soldiers"
Philadelphia Inquirer (09/04/07); Holcomb, Henry J.
The Wearable Intelligent Reporting Environment (WIRE), developed by Lockheed Martin, is designed to help soldiers in the field by recording their activity and turning speech it records into documents so soldiers do not have to write reports after a hard day on patrol. If approved, soldiers would wear a headset with an earphone and microphone designed to separate voices from gunfire and other noise. The headset is connected to a rugged but lightweight computer tucked into the soldier's combat vest. The system allows soldiers to dictate a report while in the field, all without taking their hands off their weapons or their eyes off of the action. The computer asks for responses that fill out forms designed for different situations and asks about words or situations it does not understand. The computer automatically creates a report and sends it to commanders, along with data from the soldier's GPS receiver. Data from multiple patrols can be analyzed immediately to fine-tune strategy and tactics. WIRE is designed to work with headsets and batteries already used by the military, and because the device does not have a video screen a single charge lasts as long as most patrols. WIRE also has significant potential for law enforcement applications. Crime analysis expert Robert Cheetham says fresh digital reports from the field would be extremely valuable to police commanders and could allow them to detect patterns and prevent future crimes. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/business/20070904_
A_high-tech_helping_hand_for_soldiers.html
"GPS Technology Helps to Locate Police Dogs"
Cherry Hill Courier-Post (NJ) (09/04/07); Strupczewski, Leo
The Camden County, N.J., Sheriff's Department is one of the initial law enforcement agencies in the nation to obtain GPS technology that can help an officer locate his dog. The dog's collar contains the GPS device, and the dog's officer carries a hand-held device not much larger than a BlackBerry, to track the animal. If a dog gets lost, department members can locate him by finding a pawprint on the handler's screen and proceeding towards it. The Minnesota firm White Bear Technologies manufactures the Roam-EO technology, and contributed four units to the Camden Sheriff's Department's four canine divisions. Roam-EO offers the department real-time information, which is sent to an officer's hand-held unit. Each device is priced at $499, and there is an insurance fee for dogs of $4,500 to $6,000, although that price can increase if training is included. United States Police Canine Association executive director Russ Hess thinks the technology will become more popular as the systems become more advanced.
http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/
article?AID=/20070904/NEWS01/709040362/1006
"Police to Unveil New Communication Gear"
WTNH.com--Channel 8 (Conn.) (09/05/07); Latina, Jodi
First responders in Connecticut will have new technology in the near future to assist them in emergency events. On Wednesday, they are set to receive a communication system that helps links departments throughout Connecticut. It will be the initial state in the country to have the radio common channel erected. The system is intended to maintain open communication lines during an emergency. Currently, if a police officer in Enfield, for example, wishes to speak with an officer in Madison, they would have to use the phone. With a common radio frequency, the link could be immediate. The new system will also keep portable radios in sync. The technology, which is known as band, is priced at $1 million, and connects to current radio systems.
http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=7027349&nav=3YeX
"Groves Police Get Anti-Gang Grant"
Mid County Chronicle (TX) (09/05/07); Kutac, Dennis
Authorities with the Groves, Texas, Police Department claim superior technology equipment is what they want to buy after getting a federal granted intended to help target gang violence and associated crimes. Sen. John Cornyn ( R) claims the $350,350 grant was provided by the U.S. Department of Justice's Anti-Gang Initiative and was dispensed by the Texas Office of the Attorney General. Groves Police Department Det. Steven Hinton noted the proposal the department actually presented for the Project Safe Neighborhoods grant totaled $84,489, which it requested earlier this year and from which it obtained around $80,000. Hinton explained the equipment the department wants to acquire includes thermal-imaging devices, binoculars, recorders, and transmitters. "Our department will be buying technology extremely advanced mainly for undercover work and surveillance," he stated. Groves City Marshal Jeff Wilmore pointed out that the grant will also enable the Groves Police Department to bring its Safe Streets Crime Unit and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force together to deal with gang-associated and personal crimes. Cornyn stated the Anti-Gang Initiative offers money to support new or enlarged anti-gang and enforcement plans under the current Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative.
http://www.midcountychronicle.com/news/2007/0905/Front_Page/001.html
"Sandy Springs, GA Police Department Selects SunGard's OSSI Public Safety Software"
WebWire (09/03/07)
SunGard HTE, a leading international provider of government information technologies, reports that the Sandy Springs, Ga., Police Department has signed a contract to implement the company's OSSI Public Safety Suite of software. The suite provides a fully integrated system that affords each agency real-time access to shared information, helping to improve response times, reduce costs, and increase officer safety. The Sandy Springs Police Department will implement the Records Management System and Mobile Computing components of the OSSI Public Safety Suite. Records Management System provides a comprehensive system to collect, store, and access information gathered by law enforcement personnel during daily activities. Mobile Computing Technology is a wireless application that provides access to information for officers in the field. Together, these components will help officers to stay connected with real-time data while in the field. http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=46613
"Lawmen on Target with CVTC Technology"
Calhoun Times (GA) (08/31/07); West, E.K.
The Northwest Georgia Enforcement Executives Association convened in August at Coosa Valley Technical College (CVTC) for the introduction of the new Computer LaserShot Technology in the Criminal Justice program. The innovative technology was given to the officers by CVTC Criminal Justice coordinator and instructor Tom Bojo. "This is an outstanding piece of equipment that can be used not only for laser shot simulation classroom purposes but law enforcement departments can reserve the simulator for training," he stated. LaserShot is a computer-simulation program that employs a simulated handgun and a laser-action screen. Numerous drills and situations--including vehicle chases and hostage scenarios--take place onscreen with various endings. LaserShot instruction is only done at CVTC's Gordon County campus as part of the Criminal Justice program. In addition, the program provides classrooms, crime-scene rooms, computer research facilities, and rescue maze capability. "Our technology capabilities give students hands on experience allowing them to use what they learn in the field," notes Bojo, which keeps officers interested and offers them ongoing feedback.
http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?show=localnews&
pnpID=722&NewsID=834262&CategoryID=3388&on=1
"Area Police Forces Add High-Tech Gear"
Valley News Dispatch (08/26/07); Biedka, Chuck
Harrison Township, Pa., law enforcement will soon begin utilizing a video enhancement system, while police in O'Hara will discover how to utilize a high-tech surveillance system that can be employed to investigate a variety of crimes, including drug trafficking. The video enhancement system can be utilized with the majority of video systems to upgrade the quality of images, such as those found on a firm's surveillance tapes. Meanwhile, the video surveillance system is small, easy to hide, and employs a camera that is motion activated. The system, which also records sounds, can be utilized inside or outdoors. O'Hara's surveillance system is the third advanced technological tool that the police department has acquired from the U.S. government. The department is also employing a thermal imaging camera. Harrison Police Chief Mike Klein noted his department will pursue a grant in 2008 to purchase the same surveillance system O'Hara is using. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_524172.html
"Oil City Police Go to Nab Speeders"
Oil City Derrick (PA) (08/30/07); Clark, Karen
The Oil City, Pa., Police Department has been employing the Electronic Non-Radar Device (ENRADD) since January, permitting officers to more aggressively pursue speeders. In addition, ENRADD makes it a lot harder for violators to figure out where police are probably waiting and watching. ENRADD--a wireless speed-detection device--enables police to operate a speed check almost anyplace, including on leading thoroughfares, bridges, and back streets. ENRADD has a pair of tripods that each have sensor units. Officers put the three-foot tripods on either side of the road. As cars drive between the sensors, their speed is determined and sent through a wireless radio connection to a display head situated in a patrol vehicle. Experts contend that ENRADD can save a police department $3,000 to $5,000 a car annually on gas and maintenance because police do not have to chase vehicles that are going too fast. http://www.thederrick.com/stories/08312007-5008.shtml
"Video Billboards Coming This Way"
Philadelphia Inquirer (08/21/07) P. E1; Slobodzian, Joseph A.
The Philadelphia region will soon erect digital billboards, which are being lauded by police for promoting public safety. ClearChannel Outdoor stated it would have eight 14-by-48 video billboards with advertising images or messages that would change every eight seconds on leading highways by the end of this year from Bucks County to Philadelphia and into Delaware County. The company attempted to install a couple of billboards on Aug. 20, only to be stopped by continuous rain. ClearChannel claims the billboards recently informed drivers in Minneapolis and St. Paul about the demise of the Interstate 35W bridge and offered optional routes. Separately, a missing girl from Minneapolis was located one day after digital billboards were utilized in an Amber Alert. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson supports the digital billboards, noting they are in the "community's best interests because they have the capability to deliver important emergency information, such as Amber Alerts or disaster-preparedness bulletins." Driver-safety organizations and environmentalists, however, contend that the billboards will endanger motorists and are an eyesore.
http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20070821_
Video_billboards_coming_this_way.html
"Asotin County Sheriff Upgrades Tasers"
Lewiston Morning Tribune (ID) (08/21/07) P. 1D; Cole, David
Deputies in Asotin County, Idaho, are now carrying Tasers with newer technology, which are better at controlling dangerous suspects and are safer, authorities claim. In June, Asotin County Sheriff Ken Bancroft began carrying the new Taser X26 model, replacing the older Taser M26. The Taser X26 discharges a pair of small probes, which look like fish hooks that have been straightened. The probes can fly as far as 25 feet, penetrating the clothing of a suspect and going into the body, Bancroft explained. The Taser X26 costs $200 more than the M26, at $800 apiece. The sheriff's office bought 14 of the X26s, one for every field deputy and two for joint use by Asotin County Jail correctional deputies. The Taser X26 is shaped like a firearm, weighs less than the older Tasers, and documents the length of activation time. http://www.lmtribune.com
"Strategy Game Trains Cops and Firefighters"
PC World (08/23/07); McMillan, Robert
Graduate students from the University of Southern California's Viterbi School of Engineering are collaborating with Sandia National Laboratories on a real-time strategy game that allows police officers, fire fighters, and other first responders to practice emergency scenarios. The game, Ground Truth, is realistic because events in the game occur in real time, putting added pressure on first responders to act swiftly. Jim Pointer, the medical director of Alameda County's Emergency Medical Services Agency, recently completed an intense session of Ground Truth that called for him to oversee a city's response to a toxic chemical spill. During the scenario, he was responsible for managing traffic barriers, putting hazmat teams and police cars in position to respond to the spill, and managing medical collection points while keeping an eye out for toxic plumes. Pointer says the game is fun, educational, and has great promise. Blizzard Entertainment's Warcraft III game provided inspiration for Ground Truth, which could eventually receive funding from private industry or even the Homeland Security Department. http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136306-c,games/article.html
"Dallas PD Fights Crime With Video Surveillance"
Security Technology & Design (07/07) Vol. 17, No. 7, P. 52; Levin, Gregg
In early 2005, the Dallas Police Department launched a pilot project involving the installation of video surveillance cameras in the busy Deep Ellum area of the city. After just four months of operation, the project was credited with significantly reducing the number of crimes in the area, prompting the Police Department to consider expansion. With funding from the Meadows Foundation, bids were sought to install a wireless video surveillance system in Dallas' central business district with a goal of reducing crime in hot spots by 30 percent. In January, the new system was deployed, covering about 30 percent of the downtown area with round-the-clock monitoring and allowing operators to change the direction of the camera lenses remotely as well as allowing officers to redeploy cameras as needed to increase monitoring capabilities at special events or other downtown locations. The Police Department now plans to increase the number of cameras deployed around the city by threefold.
http://www.securityinfowatch.com/print/Security-Technology-
and-Design/Video-Surveillance/Dallas-PD-Fights-Crime-With-Video-Surveillance
/11804SIW2
"Riot Act"
Police Magazine (08/07) Vol. 31, No. 8, P. 34; Griffith, David
Since it was closed in 1996, the West Virginia State Penitentiary at Moundsville has hosted the annual Mock Prison Riot, which is one of the premier corrections and law enforcement training events in the world. The Mock Prison Riot, which is held each May, is planned and executed by the staff of the Office of Law Enforcement Technology Commercialization (OLTEC) and the National Corrections and Law Enforcement Training and Technology Center (NCLETTC). Personnel from the two organizations act as leaders of the "rioters," who are mostly students from local colleges and high schools. In addition, OLTEC develops scenarios that allow law enforcement agencies that are participating in the Mock Prison Riot to practice putting down prison disturbances. Although the scenarios are choreographed to some extent, there are some surprises for the responders. In some of the scenarios, the prisoners give up quickly, while in others they put up a fight. Along with developing the riot scenarios, OLETC and NCLETTC work with the participating law enforcement agencies and the makers of the products that are on display at the Mock Prison Riot's Technology Showcase to provide training opportunities that involve new or improved products. Since it is held in an abandoned prison, the event offers a one-of-a-kind training opportunity for law enforcement agencies such as the Gwinnett County (Ga.) Sheriff's Office's Rapid Response Team. "We really can't train very well in our jail because it is occupied," said Major Carl Sims of the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office. "And that's a problem because a cell offers a unique environment that's difficult to duplicate outside of a corrections facility." http://www.policemag.com/Articles/2007/08/Riot-Act.aspx
NLECTC Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology News Summary
Thursday, September 6, 2007
"City Looks at $40M Police Headquarters"
Waukegan News Sun (IL) (09/04/07); Peterson, Craig
The Waukegan, Ill., City Council is considering design plans for a new headquarters for its police. A five-floor building with communications, training, investigations, records, evidence processing, and office space is thought to cost around $40 million. A police headquarters outfitted with the modern crime-fighting devices is the most sophisticated and costly facility any municipal government will construct, architects have informed aldermen. While initially, plans had called for redoing the previous city hall facility or constructing on an adjacent location, Police Chief Bill Biang explained that seven architectural companies studied refurbishing the present facility and all said it was not a good idea. Biang added there is no room to expand horizontally, and the building cannot support adding floors to it. He also stated that acquiring land would counter the savings of redoing the facility. The council may use a referendum to pay for the new police headquarters. http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/
news/540363,5_1_WA04_WAUKEGANCOPS_S1.article
"A High-Tech Helping Hand for Soldiers"
Philadelphia Inquirer (09/04/07); Holcomb, Henry J.
The Wearable Intelligent Reporting Environment (WIRE), developed by Lockheed Martin, is designed to help soldiers in the field by recording their activity and turning speech it records into documents so soldiers do not have to write reports after a hard day on patrol. If approved, soldiers would wear a headset with an earphone and microphone designed to separate voices from gunfire and other noise. The headset is connected to a rugged but lightweight computer tucked into the soldier's combat vest. The system allows soldiers to dictate a report while in the field, all without taking their hands off their weapons or their eyes off of the action. The computer asks for responses that fill out forms designed for different situations and asks about words or situations it does not understand. The computer automatically creates a report and sends it to commanders, along with data from the soldier's GPS receiver. Data from multiple patrols can be analyzed immediately to fine-tune strategy and tactics. WIRE is designed to work with headsets and batteries already used by the military, and because the device does not have a video screen a single charge lasts as long as most patrols. WIRE also has significant potential for law enforcement applications. Crime analysis expert Robert Cheetham says fresh digital reports from the field would be extremely valuable to police commanders and could allow them to detect patterns and prevent future crimes. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/business/20070904_
A_high-tech_helping_hand_for_soldiers.html
"GPS Technology Helps to Locate Police Dogs"
Cherry Hill Courier-Post (NJ) (09/04/07); Strupczewski, Leo
The Camden County, N.J., Sheriff's Department is one of the initial law enforcement agencies in the nation to obtain GPS technology that can help an officer locate his dog. The dog's collar contains the GPS device, and the dog's officer carries a hand-held device not much larger than a BlackBerry, to track the animal. If a dog gets lost, department members can locate him by finding a pawprint on the handler's screen and proceeding towards it. The Minnesota firm White Bear Technologies manufactures the Roam-EO technology, and contributed four units to the Camden Sheriff's Department's four canine divisions. Roam-EO offers the department real-time information, which is sent to an officer's hand-held unit. Each device is priced at $499, and there is an insurance fee for dogs of $4,500 to $6,000, although that price can increase if training is included. United States Police Canine Association executive director Russ Hess thinks the technology will become more popular as the systems become more advanced.
http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/
article?AID=/20070904/NEWS01/709040362/1006
"Police to Unveil New Communication Gear"
WTNH.com--Channel 8 (Conn.) (09/05/07); Latina, Jodi
First responders in Connecticut will have new technology in the near future to assist them in emergency events. On Wednesday, they are set to receive a communication system that helps links departments throughout Connecticut. It will be the initial state in the country to have the radio common channel erected. The system is intended to maintain open communication lines during an emergency. Currently, if a police officer in Enfield, for example, wishes to speak with an officer in Madison, they would have to use the phone. With a common radio frequency, the link could be immediate. The new system will also keep portable radios in sync. The technology, which is known as band, is priced at $1 million, and connects to current radio systems.
http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=7027349&nav=3YeX
"Groves Police Get Anti-Gang Grant"
Mid County Chronicle (TX) (09/05/07); Kutac, Dennis
Authorities with the Groves, Texas, Police Department claim superior technology equipment is what they want to buy after getting a federal granted intended to help target gang violence and associated crimes. Sen. John Cornyn ( R) claims the $350,350 grant was provided by the U.S. Department of Justice's Anti-Gang Initiative and was dispensed by the Texas Office of the Attorney General. Groves Police Department Det. Steven Hinton noted the proposal the department actually presented for the Project Safe Neighborhoods grant totaled $84,489, which it requested earlier this year and from which it obtained around $80,000. Hinton explained the equipment the department wants to acquire includes thermal-imaging devices, binoculars, recorders, and transmitters. "Our department will be buying technology extremely advanced mainly for undercover work and surveillance," he stated. Groves City Marshal Jeff Wilmore pointed out that the grant will also enable the Groves Police Department to bring its Safe Streets Crime Unit and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force together to deal with gang-associated and personal crimes. Cornyn stated the Anti-Gang Initiative offers money to support new or enlarged anti-gang and enforcement plans under the current Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative.
http://www.midcountychronicle.com/news/2007/0905/Front_Page/001.html
"Sandy Springs, GA Police Department Selects SunGard's OSSI Public Safety Software"
WebWire (09/03/07)
SunGard HTE, a leading international provider of government information technologies, reports that the Sandy Springs, Ga., Police Department has signed a contract to implement the company's OSSI Public Safety Suite of software. The suite provides a fully integrated system that affords each agency real-time access to shared information, helping to improve response times, reduce costs, and increase officer safety. The Sandy Springs Police Department will implement the Records Management System and Mobile Computing components of the OSSI Public Safety Suite. Records Management System provides a comprehensive system to collect, store, and access information gathered by law enforcement personnel during daily activities. Mobile Computing Technology is a wireless application that provides access to information for officers in the field. Together, these components will help officers to stay connected with real-time data while in the field. http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=46613
"Lawmen on Target with CVTC Technology"
Calhoun Times (GA) (08/31/07); West, E.K.
The Northwest Georgia Enforcement Executives Association convened in August at Coosa Valley Technical College (CVTC) for the introduction of the new Computer LaserShot Technology in the Criminal Justice program. The innovative technology was given to the officers by CVTC Criminal Justice coordinator and instructor Tom Bojo. "This is an outstanding piece of equipment that can be used not only for laser shot simulation classroom purposes but law enforcement departments can reserve the simulator for training," he stated. LaserShot is a computer-simulation program that employs a simulated handgun and a laser-action screen. Numerous drills and situations--including vehicle chases and hostage scenarios--take place onscreen with various endings. LaserShot instruction is only done at CVTC's Gordon County campus as part of the Criminal Justice program. In addition, the program provides classrooms, crime-scene rooms, computer research facilities, and rescue maze capability. "Our technology capabilities give students hands on experience allowing them to use what they learn in the field," notes Bojo, which keeps officers interested and offers them ongoing feedback.
http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?show=localnews&
pnpID=722&NewsID=834262&CategoryID=3388&on=1
"Area Police Forces Add High-Tech Gear"
Valley News Dispatch (08/26/07); Biedka, Chuck
Harrison Township, Pa., law enforcement will soon begin utilizing a video enhancement system, while police in O'Hara will discover how to utilize a high-tech surveillance system that can be employed to investigate a variety of crimes, including drug trafficking. The video enhancement system can be utilized with the majority of video systems to upgrade the quality of images, such as those found on a firm's surveillance tapes. Meanwhile, the video surveillance system is small, easy to hide, and employs a camera that is motion activated. The system, which also records sounds, can be utilized inside or outdoors. O'Hara's surveillance system is the third advanced technological tool that the police department has acquired from the U.S. government. The department is also employing a thermal imaging camera. Harrison Police Chief Mike Klein noted his department will pursue a grant in 2008 to purchase the same surveillance system O'Hara is using. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_524172.html
"Oil City Police Go to Nab Speeders"
Oil City Derrick (PA) (08/30/07); Clark, Karen
The Oil City, Pa., Police Department has been employing the Electronic Non-Radar Device (ENRADD) since January, permitting officers to more aggressively pursue speeders. In addition, ENRADD makes it a lot harder for violators to figure out where police are probably waiting and watching. ENRADD--a wireless speed-detection device--enables police to operate a speed check almost anyplace, including on leading thoroughfares, bridges, and back streets. ENRADD has a pair of tripods that each have sensor units. Officers put the three-foot tripods on either side of the road. As cars drive between the sensors, their speed is determined and sent through a wireless radio connection to a display head situated in a patrol vehicle. Experts contend that ENRADD can save a police department $3,000 to $5,000 a car annually on gas and maintenance because police do not have to chase vehicles that are going too fast. http://www.thederrick.com/stories/08312007-5008.shtml
"Video Billboards Coming This Way"
Philadelphia Inquirer (08/21/07) P. E1; Slobodzian, Joseph A.
The Philadelphia region will soon erect digital billboards, which are being lauded by police for promoting public safety. ClearChannel Outdoor stated it would have eight 14-by-48 video billboards with advertising images or messages that would change every eight seconds on leading highways by the end of this year from Bucks County to Philadelphia and into Delaware County. The company attempted to install a couple of billboards on Aug. 20, only to be stopped by continuous rain. ClearChannel claims the billboards recently informed drivers in Minneapolis and St. Paul about the demise of the Interstate 35W bridge and offered optional routes. Separately, a missing girl from Minneapolis was located one day after digital billboards were utilized in an Amber Alert. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson supports the digital billboards, noting they are in the "community's best interests because they have the capability to deliver important emergency information, such as Amber Alerts or disaster-preparedness bulletins." Driver-safety organizations and environmentalists, however, contend that the billboards will endanger motorists and are an eyesore.
http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20070821_
Video_billboards_coming_this_way.html
"Asotin County Sheriff Upgrades Tasers"
Lewiston Morning Tribune (ID) (08/21/07) P. 1D; Cole, David
Deputies in Asotin County, Idaho, are now carrying Tasers with newer technology, which are better at controlling dangerous suspects and are safer, authorities claim. In June, Asotin County Sheriff Ken Bancroft began carrying the new Taser X26 model, replacing the older Taser M26. The Taser X26 discharges a pair of small probes, which look like fish hooks that have been straightened. The probes can fly as far as 25 feet, penetrating the clothing of a suspect and going into the body, Bancroft explained. The Taser X26 costs $200 more than the M26, at $800 apiece. The sheriff's office bought 14 of the X26s, one for every field deputy and two for joint use by Asotin County Jail correctional deputies. The Taser X26 is shaped like a firearm, weighs less than the older Tasers, and documents the length of activation time. http://www.lmtribune.com
"Strategy Game Trains Cops and Firefighters"
PC World (08/23/07); McMillan, Robert
Graduate students from the University of Southern California's Viterbi School of Engineering are collaborating with Sandia National Laboratories on a real-time strategy game that allows police officers, fire fighters, and other first responders to practice emergency scenarios. The game, Ground Truth, is realistic because events in the game occur in real time, putting added pressure on first responders to act swiftly. Jim Pointer, the medical director of Alameda County's Emergency Medical Services Agency, recently completed an intense session of Ground Truth that called for him to oversee a city's response to a toxic chemical spill. During the scenario, he was responsible for managing traffic barriers, putting hazmat teams and police cars in position to respond to the spill, and managing medical collection points while keeping an eye out for toxic plumes. Pointer says the game is fun, educational, and has great promise. Blizzard Entertainment's Warcraft III game provided inspiration for Ground Truth, which could eventually receive funding from private industry or even the Homeland Security Department. http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,136306-c,games/article.html
"Dallas PD Fights Crime With Video Surveillance"
Security Technology & Design (07/07) Vol. 17, No. 7, P. 52; Levin, Gregg
In early 2005, the Dallas Police Department launched a pilot project involving the installation of video surveillance cameras in the busy Deep Ellum area of the city. After just four months of operation, the project was credited with significantly reducing the number of crimes in the area, prompting the Police Department to consider expansion. With funding from the Meadows Foundation, bids were sought to install a wireless video surveillance system in Dallas' central business district with a goal of reducing crime in hot spots by 30 percent. In January, the new system was deployed, covering about 30 percent of the downtown area with round-the-clock monitoring and allowing operators to change the direction of the camera lenses remotely as well as allowing officers to redeploy cameras as needed to increase monitoring capabilities at special events or other downtown locations. The Police Department now plans to increase the number of cameras deployed around the city by threefold.
http://www.securityinfowatch.com/print/Security-Technology-
and-Design/Video-Surveillance/Dallas-PD-Fights-Crime-With-Video-Surveillance
/11804SIW2
"Riot Act"
Police Magazine (08/07) Vol. 31, No. 8, P. 34; Griffith, David
Since it was closed in 1996, the West Virginia State Penitentiary at Moundsville has hosted the annual Mock Prison Riot, which is one of the premier corrections and law enforcement training events in the world. The Mock Prison Riot, which is held each May, is planned and executed by the staff of the Office of Law Enforcement Technology Commercialization (OLTEC) and the National Corrections and Law Enforcement Training and Technology Center (NCLETTC). Personnel from the two organizations act as leaders of the "rioters," who are mostly students from local colleges and high schools. In addition, OLTEC develops scenarios that allow law enforcement agencies that are participating in the Mock Prison Riot to practice putting down prison disturbances. Although the scenarios are choreographed to some extent, there are some surprises for the responders. In some of the scenarios, the prisoners give up quickly, while in others they put up a fight. Along with developing the riot scenarios, OLETC and NCLETTC work with the participating law enforcement agencies and the makers of the products that are on display at the Mock Prison Riot's Technology Showcase to provide training opportunities that involve new or improved products. Since it is held in an abandoned prison, the event offers a one-of-a-kind training opportunity for law enforcement agencies such as the Gwinnett County (Ga.) Sheriff's Office's Rapid Response Team. "We really can't train very well in our jail because it is occupied," said Major Carl Sims of the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office. "And that's a problem because a cell offers a unique environment that's difficult to duplicate outside of a corrections facility." http://www.policemag.com/Articles/2007/08/Riot-Act.aspx
Food Management Company to Receive Top Employer Support Award
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 5, 2007 - Army Staff Sgt. Lance Vaughan wasn't surprised when his company, Sodexho USA, stood behind him when he was called to active duty in the Florida National Guard shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, to protect ports in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. But when the company continued to show solid support for him and his military service during two subsequent deployments, Vaughan knew his employer had gone above and beyond what a typical employer might do.
Thanks to his nomination, Sodexho USA, with headquarters in Gaithersburg, Md., will receive a 2007 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award next week. The Freedom Award is the highest recognition the U.S. government gives to employers for outstanding support of employees who serve in the National Guard and reserves.
Sodexho USA is a leading provider of food and facilities management in the United States and Canada.
Vaughan, who served as kitchen manager at the Leesburg Regional Hospital in Florida, said his Sodexho USA managers went out of their way to let him know he wasn't a burden to the company when he was activated after Sept. 11. Throughout the call-up, he said, they kept him abreast of happenings within the company and assured him he'd have the same position available when he returned.
When Vaughn was called to active duty again between August and October 2004 to support recovery efforts following hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jean, which devastated southern Florida, Sodexho again showed its support.
His employer called his wife regularly to check on the family and see if they needed help. To ensure the deployment wasn't a financial burden, the company made up the difference between his military and civilian pay and helped with the family's bills.
Sodexho's support was again put to the test in July 2005, when Vaughan was deployed to Baghdad for an 18-month tour. Company employees continued to check on Vaughan's wife while he was away, sent care packages to him and his family the entire time he was deployed, and continued paying differential pay until he returned home.
Even after he left the company to start up his own catering business, Sodexho continued to support him. The company plans to pay for Vaughan's trip to Washington and related expenses next week so he can attend the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award ceremony.
Vaughan praised his company for showing that supporting the military is a lot more than a bumper-sticker slogan.
"I nominated Sodexho USA because they are a company that cares about their employees and stands behind the armed services and the men and women who are fighting for the USA," he said. "They made me proud to be an American and proud to work for a company like Sodexho."
Vaughan isn't alone in recognizing his company's support. He was among 38 employees who nominated Sodexho USA for the award.
Earlier this summer, the Maryland Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve presented Sodexho USA the Pro Patria Award for its support for its reserve and Guard employees. That award put the company in the running as Maryland's nominee for the national Freedom Award.
"It is an honor for Sodexho to receive the prestigious award," said Peri Bridger, senior vice president and chief human resources officer. "The greater honor, however, is to employ brave men and women who serve in our United States armed services. We know that without their dedication to our country, life as we know it would be much different."
Sodexho USA will be among 15 employers to receive the Freedom Award during a formal Sept. 12 ceremony here.
President Bush declared Sept. 9-15 as National Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Week for 2007.
"During National Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Week, we recognize the vital contributions of the brave men and women who serve our great nation, and we pay tribute to the employers who support them," Bush said in a proclamation.
The courageous men and women in the reserve components deployed overseas "are fighting a new and unprecedented war, having answered the call to defend our freedom and way of life," Bush stated.
Bush said the commitment of employers is critical to reserve-component servicemembers' ability to serve.
"These employers have provided exceptional support to the men and women serving in our National Guard and Reserve and now, more than ever, we appreciate and thank them for doing much more for these employees than the law requires," agreed L. Gordon Sumner Jr., executive director of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.
Sept. 5, 2007 - Army Staff Sgt. Lance Vaughan wasn't surprised when his company, Sodexho USA, stood behind him when he was called to active duty in the Florida National Guard shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, to protect ports in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. But when the company continued to show solid support for him and his military service during two subsequent deployments, Vaughan knew his employer had gone above and beyond what a typical employer might do.
Thanks to his nomination, Sodexho USA, with headquarters in Gaithersburg, Md., will receive a 2007 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award next week. The Freedom Award is the highest recognition the U.S. government gives to employers for outstanding support of employees who serve in the National Guard and reserves.
Sodexho USA is a leading provider of food and facilities management in the United States and Canada.
Vaughan, who served as kitchen manager at the Leesburg Regional Hospital in Florida, said his Sodexho USA managers went out of their way to let him know he wasn't a burden to the company when he was activated after Sept. 11. Throughout the call-up, he said, they kept him abreast of happenings within the company and assured him he'd have the same position available when he returned.
When Vaughn was called to active duty again between August and October 2004 to support recovery efforts following hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jean, which devastated southern Florida, Sodexho again showed its support.
His employer called his wife regularly to check on the family and see if they needed help. To ensure the deployment wasn't a financial burden, the company made up the difference between his military and civilian pay and helped with the family's bills.
Sodexho's support was again put to the test in July 2005, when Vaughan was deployed to Baghdad for an 18-month tour. Company employees continued to check on Vaughan's wife while he was away, sent care packages to him and his family the entire time he was deployed, and continued paying differential pay until he returned home.
Even after he left the company to start up his own catering business, Sodexho continued to support him. The company plans to pay for Vaughan's trip to Washington and related expenses next week so he can attend the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award ceremony.
Vaughan praised his company for showing that supporting the military is a lot more than a bumper-sticker slogan.
"I nominated Sodexho USA because they are a company that cares about their employees and stands behind the armed services and the men and women who are fighting for the USA," he said. "They made me proud to be an American and proud to work for a company like Sodexho."
Vaughan isn't alone in recognizing his company's support. He was among 38 employees who nominated Sodexho USA for the award.
Earlier this summer, the Maryland Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve presented Sodexho USA the Pro Patria Award for its support for its reserve and Guard employees. That award put the company in the running as Maryland's nominee for the national Freedom Award.
"It is an honor for Sodexho to receive the prestigious award," said Peri Bridger, senior vice president and chief human resources officer. "The greater honor, however, is to employ brave men and women who serve in our United States armed services. We know that without their dedication to our country, life as we know it would be much different."
Sodexho USA will be among 15 employers to receive the Freedom Award during a formal Sept. 12 ceremony here.
President Bush declared Sept. 9-15 as National Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Week for 2007.
"During National Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Week, we recognize the vital contributions of the brave men and women who serve our great nation, and we pay tribute to the employers who support them," Bush said in a proclamation.
The courageous men and women in the reserve components deployed overseas "are fighting a new and unprecedented war, having answered the call to defend our freedom and way of life," Bush stated.
Bush said the commitment of employers is critical to reserve-component servicemembers' ability to serve.
"These employers have provided exceptional support to the men and women serving in our National Guard and Reserve and now, more than ever, we appreciate and thank them for doing much more for these employees than the law requires," agreed L. Gordon Sumner Jr., executive director of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.
Georgia Group's Packages Keep Troops Cooking
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
, Sept. 5, 2007 - Care packages from one Georgia group are keeping troops in combat support hospitals cooking. "Our mission is to send support, smiles and care packages, as well as small appliances, ... to our combat support hospitals," said Meredith Kelly, chairman of "Operation Stars and Stripes."
The appliances go beyond mere coffee pots, though those have made their way from the Peach State to foreign shores as well. Operation Stars and Stripes has sent mini-refrigerators, microwave ovens and hot plates to give troops some flexibility when it comes to mealtime.
In addition to the support it offers the hospitals, the group sends smaller care packages of comfort items, cards and letters, Kelly said. More than 3,600 such packages have been sent since March 2003.
"Once we connect with a unit or individual, we send them what they need throughout their deployment," Kelly said.
In addition to its care package program, the all-volunteer group works to increase public awareness and understanding of hardships faced by active-duty personnel.
Operation Stars and Stripes is a new supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
Kelly said she has high hopes for her group's affiliation with America Supports You.
"We hope that it will help to get more exposure for us nationwide," she said, adding that that exposure may help in securing donations to cover postage and fill the care packages as well.
"We are just a group of volunteer Americans who are proud of what our military is doing and feel that they should know that we support them and will not forget about them," Kelly said.
American Forces Press Service
, Sept. 5, 2007 - Care packages from one Georgia group are keeping troops in combat support hospitals cooking. "Our mission is to send support, smiles and care packages, as well as small appliances, ... to our combat support hospitals," said Meredith Kelly, chairman of "Operation Stars and Stripes."
The appliances go beyond mere coffee pots, though those have made their way from the Peach State to foreign shores as well. Operation Stars and Stripes has sent mini-refrigerators, microwave ovens and hot plates to give troops some flexibility when it comes to mealtime.
In addition to the support it offers the hospitals, the group sends smaller care packages of comfort items, cards and letters, Kelly said. More than 3,600 such packages have been sent since March 2003.
"Once we connect with a unit or individual, we send them what they need throughout their deployment," Kelly said.
In addition to its care package program, the all-volunteer group works to increase public awareness and understanding of hardships faced by active-duty personnel.
Operation Stars and Stripes is a new supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
Kelly said she has high hopes for her group's affiliation with America Supports You.
"We hope that it will help to get more exposure for us nationwide," she said, adding that that exposure may help in securing donations to cover postage and fill the care packages as well.
"We are just a group of volunteer Americans who are proud of what our military is doing and feel that they should know that we support them and will not forget about them," Kelly said.
Airman Missing from WWII is Identified
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing from World War II, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
He is 2nd Lt. Harold E. Hoskin, U.S. Army Air Forces, of Houlton, Maine. He will be buried Friday in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.
Representatives from the Army met with Hoskin's next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process, and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.
On Dec. 21, 1943, Hoskin was one of five crewmen on board a B-24D that departed Ladd Field in Fairbanks, Alaska, on a cold-weather test mission. The aircraft never returned to base and it was not located in subsequent search attempts. The following March, one of the crewmen, 1st Lt. Leon Crane, arrived at Ladd Field after spending more than two months in the Alaska wilderness. He said that the plane had crashed after it lost an engine, and Crane and another crewmember, Master Sgt. Richard L. Pompeo, parachuted from the aircraft before it crashed. Crane did not know what happened to Pompeo after they bailed out.
In October 1944, Crane assisted a recovery team in locating the crash. They recovered the remains of two of the crewmen, 1st Lt. James B. Sibert and Staff Sgt. Ralph S. Wenz. Hoskin's remains were not found and it was concluded that he probably parachuted out of the aircraft before it crashed.
In 2004, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) received information from a National Park Service Historian regarding a possible WWII crash site in the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, Alaska. The historian turned over ashes believed to be the cremated remains of the crew, however, it was determined they contained no human remains. In 2006, a JPAC team excavated the site and recovered human remains and other non-biological material, including items worn by U.S. Army officers during WWII.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA in the identification of Hoskin's remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
He is 2nd Lt. Harold E. Hoskin, U.S. Army Air Forces, of Houlton, Maine. He will be buried Friday in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.
Representatives from the Army met with Hoskin's next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process, and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.
On Dec. 21, 1943, Hoskin was one of five crewmen on board a B-24D that departed Ladd Field in Fairbanks, Alaska, on a cold-weather test mission. The aircraft never returned to base and it was not located in subsequent search attempts. The following March, one of the crewmen, 1st Lt. Leon Crane, arrived at Ladd Field after spending more than two months in the Alaska wilderness. He said that the plane had crashed after it lost an engine, and Crane and another crewmember, Master Sgt. Richard L. Pompeo, parachuted from the aircraft before it crashed. Crane did not know what happened to Pompeo after they bailed out.
In October 1944, Crane assisted a recovery team in locating the crash. They recovered the remains of two of the crewmen, 1st Lt. James B. Sibert and Staff Sgt. Ralph S. Wenz. Hoskin's remains were not found and it was concluded that he probably parachuted out of the aircraft before it crashed.
In 2004, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) received information from a National Park Service Historian regarding a possible WWII crash site in the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, Alaska. The historian turned over ashes believed to be the cremated remains of the crew, however, it was determined they contained no human remains. In 2006, a JPAC team excavated the site and recovered human remains and other non-biological material, including items worn by U.S. Army officers during WWII.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA in the identification of Hoskin's remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
Patriotism Drives Army's Recruiting, Retention Success
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 5, 2007 - Enlistment and retention bonuses, educational benefits and other incentives are invaluable recruiting tools, but Army officials say old-fashioned patriotism is just as big a motivator in attracting soldiers to the force and encouraging them to stay. "There are a lot of patriots out there," said Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick, commander of U.S. Army Recruiting Command, during a media roundtable yesterday.
Despite low unemployment rates and a near-guarantee that they'll eventually deploy into combat, young men and women continue to hold up their right hands and volunteer to serve in the Army, he said.
As of July 30, the latest month for which statistics are available, almost 62,000 soldiers had entered active duty so far this fiscal year, and almost 21,500 have joined the Army Reserve. Bostick expressed confidence that the Army will meet its year-end goals of 80,000 active duty and 26,500 Army Reserve troops.
He praised the young men and women who enlist because "they want to do something that is bigger than themselves -- something for their nation that they can be proud of."
Many recognize they could make more money in the private sector, he said, but join the military seeking discipline, leadership skills and the opportunity to serve their country.
Nowhere is this phenomenon more evident than in the Army's sky-high retention rates, particularly among troops who have served in combat.
Army Brig. Gen. Michael T. Harrison, the 10th Mountain Division's deputy commanding general for support, told reporters yesterday that he's seen it firsthand among division members who have served in Afghanistan and currently are in Iraq.
By the end of July, the Fort Drum, N.Y., division already had met its retention goals for the fiscal year. "In every category -- we are talking initial-term soldiers, mid-term soldiers and career soldiers -- we have exceeded our objective by more than 100 percent," Harrison said.
The Army Reserve has had similar success, exceeding its retention goals for first-termers by 55 percent with two months left in the fiscal year, Command Sgt. Maj. Leon Caffie, the Army Reserve's top noncommissioned officer, told American Forces Press Service today. Retention rates for career soldiers have also topped year-end goals.
"That's remarkable," Caffie said, citing equally impressive statistics among troops who have deployed to combat.
"If you look at the stats for soldiers who have been deployed in the Army Reserve, those retention rates are astronomical as well," he said. "We have done a remarkable job of retaining soldiers with combat experience, who have deployed into either Afghanistan or Iraq."
"In many cases, they stay because they are proud of the Army," Bostick said of troops both in the active and reserve components. "They feel like they are in the greatest Army on the face of the earth, with wonderful equipment, the best training, the best leadership."
Harrison agreed that being part of "a great institution" makes soldiers want to continue serving. But it goes beyond that, he said, to the relationships built and the personal gratification of service. "It is a sense of teamwork, a sense of wanting to be part of something honorable," he said. "We see that every single day. We have a bunch of proud soldiers here."
Like their active-duty counterparts, many Army Reservists re-up because they believe they're making a contribution of their country and the freedoms it guarantees its citizens, Caffie said.
"The freedom that one has in this country is unparalleled to anything else in the world. That's the reason a lot of these soldiers continue to serve today -- because they figure that one must be willing to pay to be free," he said. "They're great American patriots."
The leaders agreed that soldiers welcome retention bonuses, but don't base their decisions about service on them.
"Bonuses are not enough to make up for the challenges and demands that these soldiers and families face," Bostick said. Especially for troops who re-enlist in Iraq, "there is no amount of money that you can pay to someone that believes they are in a bad organization and in harm's way to the point where they feel their life is threatened," he said.
"This is a tough business. It's dangerous, and they realize it," Bostick said. "We pay bonuses to help encourage them to make a decision that they probably would make regardless."
At Fort Drum, Harrison said many soldiers re-enlist "without much consideration to a bonus."
"They will tell you it's important to remain part of a team that is doing something vital for this nation," he said. "And they are pretty proud of that."
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 5, 2007 - Enlistment and retention bonuses, educational benefits and other incentives are invaluable recruiting tools, but Army officials say old-fashioned patriotism is just as big a motivator in attracting soldiers to the force and encouraging them to stay. "There are a lot of patriots out there," said Maj. Gen. Thomas P. Bostick, commander of U.S. Army Recruiting Command, during a media roundtable yesterday.
Despite low unemployment rates and a near-guarantee that they'll eventually deploy into combat, young men and women continue to hold up their right hands and volunteer to serve in the Army, he said.
As of July 30, the latest month for which statistics are available, almost 62,000 soldiers had entered active duty so far this fiscal year, and almost 21,500 have joined the Army Reserve. Bostick expressed confidence that the Army will meet its year-end goals of 80,000 active duty and 26,500 Army Reserve troops.
He praised the young men and women who enlist because "they want to do something that is bigger than themselves -- something for their nation that they can be proud of."
Many recognize they could make more money in the private sector, he said, but join the military seeking discipline, leadership skills and the opportunity to serve their country.
Nowhere is this phenomenon more evident than in the Army's sky-high retention rates, particularly among troops who have served in combat.
Army Brig. Gen. Michael T. Harrison, the 10th Mountain Division's deputy commanding general for support, told reporters yesterday that he's seen it firsthand among division members who have served in Afghanistan and currently are in Iraq.
By the end of July, the Fort Drum, N.Y., division already had met its retention goals for the fiscal year. "In every category -- we are talking initial-term soldiers, mid-term soldiers and career soldiers -- we have exceeded our objective by more than 100 percent," Harrison said.
The Army Reserve has had similar success, exceeding its retention goals for first-termers by 55 percent with two months left in the fiscal year, Command Sgt. Maj. Leon Caffie, the Army Reserve's top noncommissioned officer, told American Forces Press Service today. Retention rates for career soldiers have also topped year-end goals.
"That's remarkable," Caffie said, citing equally impressive statistics among troops who have deployed to combat.
"If you look at the stats for soldiers who have been deployed in the Army Reserve, those retention rates are astronomical as well," he said. "We have done a remarkable job of retaining soldiers with combat experience, who have deployed into either Afghanistan or Iraq."
"In many cases, they stay because they are proud of the Army," Bostick said of troops both in the active and reserve components. "They feel like they are in the greatest Army on the face of the earth, with wonderful equipment, the best training, the best leadership."
Harrison agreed that being part of "a great institution" makes soldiers want to continue serving. But it goes beyond that, he said, to the relationships built and the personal gratification of service. "It is a sense of teamwork, a sense of wanting to be part of something honorable," he said. "We see that every single day. We have a bunch of proud soldiers here."
Like their active-duty counterparts, many Army Reservists re-up because they believe they're making a contribution of their country and the freedoms it guarantees its citizens, Caffie said.
"The freedom that one has in this country is unparalleled to anything else in the world. That's the reason a lot of these soldiers continue to serve today -- because they figure that one must be willing to pay to be free," he said. "They're great American patriots."
The leaders agreed that soldiers welcome retention bonuses, but don't base their decisions about service on them.
"Bonuses are not enough to make up for the challenges and demands that these soldiers and families face," Bostick said. Especially for troops who re-enlist in Iraq, "there is no amount of money that you can pay to someone that believes they are in a bad organization and in harm's way to the point where they feel their life is threatened," he said.
"This is a tough business. It's dangerous, and they realize it," Bostick said. "We pay bonuses to help encourage them to make a decision that they probably would make regardless."
At Fort Drum, Harrison said many soldiers re-enlist "without much consideration to a bonus."
"They will tell you it's important to remain part of a team that is doing something vital for this nation," he said. "And they are pretty proud of that."
Nevada Guard Aids Search for Missing Pilot Fossett
By Sgt. 1st Class Erick Studenicka, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
Sept. 5, 2007 - Searching in some of the most remote areas in the most mountainous state in the United States, Nevada National Guard members continue to seek the whereabouts of millionaire adventurer and pilot Steve Fossett today.
The Nevada Air National Guard launched a C-130 Hercules airplane equipped with "Scathe View" technology at about 8 a.m. today.
The Nevada Army Guard also dispatched a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter to assist in the search, which encompasses several hundred square miles of northwestern Nevada and stretches into the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California.
"The area we are looking in is about 600 square miles," wrote Air Force Capt. April Conway, the Nevada National Guard public affairs officer, via e-mail from the aircraft. "We are searching from about 75 miles west of Yerington to about 100 miles east of Yerington and south into Mammoth, Calif."
The Nevada National Guard C-130 also had flown last night, until 2 a.m. today. Conway said the Nevada Air Guard C-130 and the Army Guard UH-60 were the only aircraft in the region equipped to search at night.
A Nevada Army Guard observational helicopter equipped with forward-looking infrared radar also participated in the search yesterday. The system enables pilots to steer their vehicles at night and detect warm objects against a cold background even in complete darkness.
The Nevada Air Guard's Scathe View imagery system consists of a sensor mounted to a modified C-130. The turret is controlled by on-board imagery analysts working at a sensor control workstation. The analysts can link full-motion video to ground staff for review. The Scathe View equipment is manned by the Nevada Air Guard's 152nd Intelligence Squadron.
The aerial search yesterday included 14 aircraft and featured grid searches over more than 7,500 square miles, which is an area larger than Connecticut.
Other organizations assisting in the search and providing aircraft are the Nevada and California Civil Air Patrols and California and Nevada Highway Patrols.
According to wire reports, Fossett, 63, the first person to circle the world solo in a balloon, took off solo early Sept. 3 from the Flying M Ranch, a private airstrip owned by hotel magnate William Barron Hilton and located about 70 miles southeast of Reno near Yerington. The Bellanca Citabria Super Decathlon that he was flying is equipped with a locator that sends out a satellite signal after a rough landing, but no such signal has been received by aviation officials.
The Federal Aviation Administration said Fossett did not file a flight plan. "We believe he was looking for dry lake beds," Conway told the Washington Post. "It was just supposed to be an up-and-down trip."
Apparently, he was scouting out areas for a land-speed record attempt. A northern Nevada newspaper said Fossett has an application pending before the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for a permit in Nevada's rural, central Eureka County to attempt to break the land-speed record of 766.6 mph.
In addition to his aerial exploits, Fossett has swum the English Channel, participated in the Iditarod dog sled race and driven in the 24 Hours of Le Mans car race in France.
"He is an adventurer. He has been in an awful lot of scrapes in his life, and he probably has better chances than you and I of walking away from something that was potentially dangerous," Conway told the Los Angeles Times.
The weather in northern Nevada today was expected to remain calm with clear skies with temperatures in the high 70s and low 80s.
Aircraft from the Nevada Army National Guard helped locate a lost hiker in Esmeralda County, Nev., on May 30 after receiving a call for assistance from state emergency management officials. The Nevada Air National Guard also recently helped in the search for three missing hikers missing on Mount Hood in Oregon in December.
(Army Sgt. 1st Class Erick Studenicka is assigned to the National Guard Bureau.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Sept. 5, 2007 - Searching in some of the most remote areas in the most mountainous state in the United States, Nevada National Guard members continue to seek the whereabouts of millionaire adventurer and pilot Steve Fossett today.
The Nevada Air National Guard launched a C-130 Hercules airplane equipped with "Scathe View" technology at about 8 a.m. today.
The Nevada Army Guard also dispatched a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter to assist in the search, which encompasses several hundred square miles of northwestern Nevada and stretches into the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California.
"The area we are looking in is about 600 square miles," wrote Air Force Capt. April Conway, the Nevada National Guard public affairs officer, via e-mail from the aircraft. "We are searching from about 75 miles west of Yerington to about 100 miles east of Yerington and south into Mammoth, Calif."
The Nevada National Guard C-130 also had flown last night, until 2 a.m. today. Conway said the Nevada Air Guard C-130 and the Army Guard UH-60 were the only aircraft in the region equipped to search at night.
A Nevada Army Guard observational helicopter equipped with forward-looking infrared radar also participated in the search yesterday. The system enables pilots to steer their vehicles at night and detect warm objects against a cold background even in complete darkness.
The Nevada Air Guard's Scathe View imagery system consists of a sensor mounted to a modified C-130. The turret is controlled by on-board imagery analysts working at a sensor control workstation. The analysts can link full-motion video to ground staff for review. The Scathe View equipment is manned by the Nevada Air Guard's 152nd Intelligence Squadron.
The aerial search yesterday included 14 aircraft and featured grid searches over more than 7,500 square miles, which is an area larger than Connecticut.
Other organizations assisting in the search and providing aircraft are the Nevada and California Civil Air Patrols and California and Nevada Highway Patrols.
According to wire reports, Fossett, 63, the first person to circle the world solo in a balloon, took off solo early Sept. 3 from the Flying M Ranch, a private airstrip owned by hotel magnate William Barron Hilton and located about 70 miles southeast of Reno near Yerington. The Bellanca Citabria Super Decathlon that he was flying is equipped with a locator that sends out a satellite signal after a rough landing, but no such signal has been received by aviation officials.
The Federal Aviation Administration said Fossett did not file a flight plan. "We believe he was looking for dry lake beds," Conway told the Washington Post. "It was just supposed to be an up-and-down trip."
Apparently, he was scouting out areas for a land-speed record attempt. A northern Nevada newspaper said Fossett has an application pending before the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for a permit in Nevada's rural, central Eureka County to attempt to break the land-speed record of 766.6 mph.
In addition to his aerial exploits, Fossett has swum the English Channel, participated in the Iditarod dog sled race and driven in the 24 Hours of Le Mans car race in France.
"He is an adventurer. He has been in an awful lot of scrapes in his life, and he probably has better chances than you and I of walking away from something that was potentially dangerous," Conway told the Los Angeles Times.
The weather in northern Nevada today was expected to remain calm with clear skies with temperatures in the high 70s and low 80s.
Aircraft from the Nevada Army National Guard helped locate a lost hiker in Esmeralda County, Nev., on May 30 after receiving a call for assistance from state emergency management officials. The Nevada Air National Guard also recently helped in the search for three missing hikers missing on Mount Hood in Oregon in December.
(Army Sgt. 1st Class Erick Studenicka is assigned to the National Guard Bureau.)
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Afghan Cadets Intern with Army Corps of Engineers
By Master Sgt. Mark W. Rodgers, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
Sept. 4, 2007 - Four Afghan National Army cadets have finished a two-week internship program with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here. The cadets are third-year students at the National Military Academy Afghanistan here. The academy, with more than 700 cadets, is modelled after the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. The internship, which ended Aug. 30, was the brainchild of Army Maj. Richard Gash, a civil engineering professor at West Point. He worked at the Afghan academy this summer developing future academic courses. U.S. Military Academy cadets participate in a similar internship program with Army Corps of Engineer districts in the United States.
"We have cadets from West Point every summer," said Nova L. Robbins, program manager with the Afghan National Army. "We are going to turn it over to (the Afghan cadets) someday; why not mentor them?"
Afghan cadets are required to select from one military and one civilian discipline to study. "We had four choices: civil engineering, computer science, English and law," said Cadet Shafiq Mohammad. "We need many engineers, and this (to me) is the top class at the academy; this is why I chose engineering."
During their two-week internship, the cadets worked and interacted with numerous units. Cadets who participated in this inaugural internship program spent half of their annual month-long school break with the Corps of Engineers Afghan Engineer District. They were selected from 18 of their Afghan peers to learn about various aspects of engineering. Selection was based on academic performance and leadership potential.
The cadets selected represented the multi-ethnic diversity of Afghanistan, U.S. officials said.
The eight-hour-a-day, six-day-a-week schedule held the cadets to an aggressive program that challenged them to interact in every area. The cadets were paired into teams, with each team spending a week each working in the field and in an office environment. All assignments and hands-on training were designed around existing and future Afghan Engineer District construction projects for the Afghan National Army.
"The cadets had many questions, and you answered them", Afghan Col. Hamdullah Yousfzai, dean of education for the National Military Academy Afghanistan, said through a translator.
During their week in the field, cadets visited multiple construction project sites with Afghan Engineer District engineers and construction representatives. The cadets reviewed and compared plans for existing structures to stimulate thought and dialogue, officials said.
The office portion split the week between programs and project management, and engineering. Hands-on practical exercises required the cadets to prepare their own conceptual plan for an Afghan National Army dining facility expansion and upgrade. This was followed by participation in a review of their conceptual design, and walking them through a typical architectural design review.
In addition, the cadets reviewed contractor technical proposals and project scopes of work, assisted in preparing the scope of work for a new contractor, reviewed project design and building of the Afghan National Army dining facility, and were introduced to the operations and maintenance side of facility engineering.
"I think the cadets now understand how properly maintained facilities support their operational mission," said Jeffery B. Wheeler, operations and maintenance program manager for the Afghan National Army.
Getting the cadets to think about architecture from the customer's perspective was one of the challenges.
"I tried to break it down to things they would understand, giving them military terms they can relate to," said Chester Nakamura, architecture team leader. "You have an awesome responsibility designing things for people; ... now they have something to relate to."
(Army Master Sgt. Mark W. Rodgers is assigned to the Afghanistan Engineer District of the Army Corps of Engineers.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Sept. 4, 2007 - Four Afghan National Army cadets have finished a two-week internship program with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here. The cadets are third-year students at the National Military Academy Afghanistan here. The academy, with more than 700 cadets, is modelled after the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. The internship, which ended Aug. 30, was the brainchild of Army Maj. Richard Gash, a civil engineering professor at West Point. He worked at the Afghan academy this summer developing future academic courses. U.S. Military Academy cadets participate in a similar internship program with Army Corps of Engineer districts in the United States.
"We have cadets from West Point every summer," said Nova L. Robbins, program manager with the Afghan National Army. "We are going to turn it over to (the Afghan cadets) someday; why not mentor them?"
Afghan cadets are required to select from one military and one civilian discipline to study. "We had four choices: civil engineering, computer science, English and law," said Cadet Shafiq Mohammad. "We need many engineers, and this (to me) is the top class at the academy; this is why I chose engineering."
During their two-week internship, the cadets worked and interacted with numerous units. Cadets who participated in this inaugural internship program spent half of their annual month-long school break with the Corps of Engineers Afghan Engineer District. They were selected from 18 of their Afghan peers to learn about various aspects of engineering. Selection was based on academic performance and leadership potential.
The cadets selected represented the multi-ethnic diversity of Afghanistan, U.S. officials said.
The eight-hour-a-day, six-day-a-week schedule held the cadets to an aggressive program that challenged them to interact in every area. The cadets were paired into teams, with each team spending a week each working in the field and in an office environment. All assignments and hands-on training were designed around existing and future Afghan Engineer District construction projects for the Afghan National Army.
"The cadets had many questions, and you answered them", Afghan Col. Hamdullah Yousfzai, dean of education for the National Military Academy Afghanistan, said through a translator.
During their week in the field, cadets visited multiple construction project sites with Afghan Engineer District engineers and construction representatives. The cadets reviewed and compared plans for existing structures to stimulate thought and dialogue, officials said.
The office portion split the week between programs and project management, and engineering. Hands-on practical exercises required the cadets to prepare their own conceptual plan for an Afghan National Army dining facility expansion and upgrade. This was followed by participation in a review of their conceptual design, and walking them through a typical architectural design review.
In addition, the cadets reviewed contractor technical proposals and project scopes of work, assisted in preparing the scope of work for a new contractor, reviewed project design and building of the Afghan National Army dining facility, and were introduced to the operations and maintenance side of facility engineering.
"I think the cadets now understand how properly maintained facilities support their operational mission," said Jeffery B. Wheeler, operations and maintenance program manager for the Afghan National Army.
Getting the cadets to think about architecture from the customer's perspective was one of the challenges.
"I tried to break it down to things they would understand, giving them military terms they can relate to," said Chester Nakamura, architecture team leader. "You have an awesome responsibility designing things for people; ... now they have something to relate to."
(Army Master Sgt. Mark W. Rodgers is assigned to the Afghanistan Engineer District of the Army Corps of Engineers.)
Group Gets Injured Troops Back in the Game
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 4, 2007 - A Maryland-based group is out to show severely wounded servicemembers they've still got game through the Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project. "The idea for the program is to ... get these guys active as soon as possible while they're there in the hospital, so they can realize they can still be active with their disability," said Kirk Bauer, Disabled Sports USA's executive director.
The Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project, created in 2003, is a partnership between Disabled Sports USA and the Wounded Warrior Project. It offers more than 14 sports -- both winter and summer -- and 70 events yearly.
Sports include snow skiing, biking, water skiing, hiking, rock climbing and mountain biking, and a group of veterans recently earned their underwater diving certification.
Disabled Sports USA and the Wounded Warrior Project are both supporters of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
With just a staff of five to work with the Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project, Bauer relies on Disabled Sports USA's chapters around the country.
"When (wounded veterans) go skiing, they go skiing with Challenge Aspen or Sun Valley Adaptive Skiing (Idaho) or Breckinridge Outdoor Education Center in Breckinridge, Colo.," Bauer said, citing some examples.
Though Disabled Sports USA's programs are available for any individual with a physical disability, the Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project is only for veterans of operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, Bauer said.
"This particular program, because everything is paid for -- from their transportation to get them there, to hotels, the food, the adaptive equipment, everything -- we're limiting it those who were recently injured," he said. "These are folks that have lost limbs and basically had their life altered from their disability."
Servicemembers participating in the project usually are recovering at one of three major military hospitals: Walter Reed Army Medical Center here; Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas; and Naval Medical Center San Diego. Bauer said the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., isn't included because sailors and Marines recovering there go to Walter Reed for rehabilitation.
The project also reaches out to those recovering from severe head trauma or spinal cord injuries who are being treated at one of several veterans hospitals specializing in care of those conditions, Bauer said.
"We try to find them were they are," he said. Some of those the group reaches out to are very easy to find. They're sitting at the recovering veterans' bedsides.
"We realize that when the ... warrior is severely injured, the entire family is impacted," Bauer said. "We provide all expenses paid for at least one family member to go with the wounded warrior and learn the sport and actually be a part of that person learning how to water ski, snow ski, whatever they're doing."
That helps eliminate the "deer-in-the-headlights" look he said he so often sees from family members as they try to figure out how to help their loved ones recover, he said.
More than 1,200 veterans and caretakers have benefited from the Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project. In a little over a month, that number will grow again. Another chapter in the Disabled Sports USA network, Team River Runner, is taking a group of veterans and their caretakers and heading for the blue waters of the Caribbean.
This is no vacation, though. With a schedule packed full of sea kayaking, camping, swimming and snorkeling there's very little chance these double leg amputees will be sipping drinks with little umbrellas.
"It's not going to be a resort," said Joe Mornini, Team River Runner's executive director. "It's going to be an adventure trip." And one that will help to build confidence and a support network, he added.
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 4, 2007 - A Maryland-based group is out to show severely wounded servicemembers they've still got game through the Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project. "The idea for the program is to ... get these guys active as soon as possible while they're there in the hospital, so they can realize they can still be active with their disability," said Kirk Bauer, Disabled Sports USA's executive director.
The Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project, created in 2003, is a partnership between Disabled Sports USA and the Wounded Warrior Project. It offers more than 14 sports -- both winter and summer -- and 70 events yearly.
Sports include snow skiing, biking, water skiing, hiking, rock climbing and mountain biking, and a group of veterans recently earned their underwater diving certification.
Disabled Sports USA and the Wounded Warrior Project are both supporters of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
With just a staff of five to work with the Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project, Bauer relies on Disabled Sports USA's chapters around the country.
"When (wounded veterans) go skiing, they go skiing with Challenge Aspen or Sun Valley Adaptive Skiing (Idaho) or Breckinridge Outdoor Education Center in Breckinridge, Colo.," Bauer said, citing some examples.
Though Disabled Sports USA's programs are available for any individual with a physical disability, the Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project is only for veterans of operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, Bauer said.
"This particular program, because everything is paid for -- from their transportation to get them there, to hotels, the food, the adaptive equipment, everything -- we're limiting it those who were recently injured," he said. "These are folks that have lost limbs and basically had their life altered from their disability."
Servicemembers participating in the project usually are recovering at one of three major military hospitals: Walter Reed Army Medical Center here; Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas; and Naval Medical Center San Diego. Bauer said the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., isn't included because sailors and Marines recovering there go to Walter Reed for rehabilitation.
The project also reaches out to those recovering from severe head trauma or spinal cord injuries who are being treated at one of several veterans hospitals specializing in care of those conditions, Bauer said.
"We try to find them were they are," he said. Some of those the group reaches out to are very easy to find. They're sitting at the recovering veterans' bedsides.
"We realize that when the ... warrior is severely injured, the entire family is impacted," Bauer said. "We provide all expenses paid for at least one family member to go with the wounded warrior and learn the sport and actually be a part of that person learning how to water ski, snow ski, whatever they're doing."
That helps eliminate the "deer-in-the-headlights" look he said he so often sees from family members as they try to figure out how to help their loved ones recover, he said.
More than 1,200 veterans and caretakers have benefited from the Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project. In a little over a month, that number will grow again. Another chapter in the Disabled Sports USA network, Team River Runner, is taking a group of veterans and their caretakers and heading for the blue waters of the Caribbean.
This is no vacation, though. With a schedule packed full of sea kayaking, camping, swimming and snorkeling there's very little chance these double leg amputees will be sipping drinks with little umbrellas.
"It's not going to be a resort," said Joe Mornini, Team River Runner's executive director. "It's going to be an adventure trip." And one that will help to build confidence and a support network, he added.
Army Boat Supports Dive Teams Trying to Raise Russian Sub
By Spc. Morrene E. Randell, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
Sept. 4, 2007 - A light breeze rippled over the dark water of Providence Harbor as two divers sank below the water's surface, leaving behind a long trail of air hoses and the sound of their breathing through the radio. Usually a transport vessel, the U.S. Army Vessel New Orleans, Landing Craft Utility 2031, from the 824th Transportation Company (Heavy Boats) is rendering itself as a diving platform for Army and Navy divers attempting to salvage a sunken Russian submarine in Providence Harbor.
The New Orleans is an Army Reserve vessel manned by a crew of soldiers from 143rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary). It made its way from its home mooring in Tampa, Fla., to Rhode Island on Aug. 15 to take part in the 40-day innovative readiness training mission, a program that allows Defense Department funding, personnel and equipment to support U.S. civilian projects that provide invaluable combat training that would apply to a unit's mission.
"It's nice, because it's an opportunity to get to work together with people we don't normally work with and understand and appreciate what they are doing," Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Anthony Tartaglia said. The crew "gets training that they can carry on either in their civilian life or in their military career," the New Orleans' vessel master said.
Most people don't know the Army even has boats, or for that matter, why the Army would need them. The New Orleans is one of 35 LCU-2000 series in service and has a crew of 15 to 17 enlisted personnel and two officers and has a berthing of seven staterooms, 17 bunks and one sickbay. Its galley facilities can accommodate a full crew and passengers for two weeks. The boat is 174 feet long and is powered by twin 1,250 horsepower engines that move it at speeds up to 14 knots.
"When there are large ships that can't come into some ports, we will go out to them," Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Clark Patton, chief engineer of the New Orleans, said. "We also transport materiel and men, as well as help the Navy transport their materiel when needed."
The LCU-2000 series serves the Army by transporting cargo and equipment all over the world, and it supports missions in harbors, inland waterways and the open ocean. The landing craft utility is a shallow-water landing craft capable of reaching beaches in four feet of water with a full load.
At the onset of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 824th was dispatched to the Persian Gulf, where it served as a diving platform for divers who were clearing oil platforms of explosives. The Rhode Island mission is similar, but far less dangerous.
Beneath the New Orleans lies a Juliet 484 Russian submarine. Army and Navy divers are using the boat's ramp as a platform to survey the sub, which sank earlier this year.
"It sank this April after a particularly nasty nor'easter," Tartaglia explained.
The storm drove a massive wave into the harbor, and because the submarine was modified to include hatches that allow tourists onto the vessel, it was no longer watertight, he said.
Divers have removed the fore and aft visitor hatches and will replace them with dams. This will make the submarine watertight and allow the team to pump water out of one hatch while the other remains open allowing air to enter and causing it to become buoyant and float back to the surface.
"It's in shallow water. ... The deepest part is about 35 feet," Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class William F. Stetson IV, one of the divers, said. "So it's easy to get down to." Stetson is with Mobile Diving Salvage Unit 2 from Little Creek, Va.
The teams of divers have been surveying the sub to come up with the safest and most practical way to raise it. "We're in phase one of a two-part phase mission," Stetson said. "We've connected four wires and hydraulic cords to keep it stable and prevent it from going any further into the channel. (In the second phase), another team will come back and actually raise the sub."
As further insurance to stabilize the sub when it is raised in 2008, four 7,200 pound anchors called "dead men" have been buried in holes 10 feet deep and wide, and they have been attached to the submarine. The anchors also are being used to pull the submarine toward the pier with hopes it will slightly right itself and resurface.
"This is an excellent mission," Sgt. Kristopher Stribbling said. "To get the chance to come out here and dive on a Russian submarine is phenomenal," the Army diver added. "It's a very unique mission being a submarine, so it has all kinds of new knowledge to take back to the unit."
All parties involved agreed that the knowledge acquired from such a unique dive is invaluable. "You don't get to salvage a vessel like this very often," Stetson said.
But for the historians involved in the sub's recovery, it's not just about the salvage training. "We need to preserve it for historical value," Frank Lennon, of the Russian Submarine Museum, said.
Museum officials and locals of Providence aren't the only ones hopeful, however, that the recovery mission will succeed.
"When it comes up, I hope they find that they can restore it, so I can come back and visit it while it's above the water," Stetson said.
(Army Spc. Morrene E. Randell is assigned to the 204th Public Affairs Detachment.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Sept. 4, 2007 - A light breeze rippled over the dark water of Providence Harbor as two divers sank below the water's surface, leaving behind a long trail of air hoses and the sound of their breathing through the radio. Usually a transport vessel, the U.S. Army Vessel New Orleans, Landing Craft Utility 2031, from the 824th Transportation Company (Heavy Boats) is rendering itself as a diving platform for Army and Navy divers attempting to salvage a sunken Russian submarine in Providence Harbor.
The New Orleans is an Army Reserve vessel manned by a crew of soldiers from 143rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary). It made its way from its home mooring in Tampa, Fla., to Rhode Island on Aug. 15 to take part in the 40-day innovative readiness training mission, a program that allows Defense Department funding, personnel and equipment to support U.S. civilian projects that provide invaluable combat training that would apply to a unit's mission.
"It's nice, because it's an opportunity to get to work together with people we don't normally work with and understand and appreciate what they are doing," Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Anthony Tartaglia said. The crew "gets training that they can carry on either in their civilian life or in their military career," the New Orleans' vessel master said.
Most people don't know the Army even has boats, or for that matter, why the Army would need them. The New Orleans is one of 35 LCU-2000 series in service and has a crew of 15 to 17 enlisted personnel and two officers and has a berthing of seven staterooms, 17 bunks and one sickbay. Its galley facilities can accommodate a full crew and passengers for two weeks. The boat is 174 feet long and is powered by twin 1,250 horsepower engines that move it at speeds up to 14 knots.
"When there are large ships that can't come into some ports, we will go out to them," Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Clark Patton, chief engineer of the New Orleans, said. "We also transport materiel and men, as well as help the Navy transport their materiel when needed."
The LCU-2000 series serves the Army by transporting cargo and equipment all over the world, and it supports missions in harbors, inland waterways and the open ocean. The landing craft utility is a shallow-water landing craft capable of reaching beaches in four feet of water with a full load.
At the onset of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 824th was dispatched to the Persian Gulf, where it served as a diving platform for divers who were clearing oil platforms of explosives. The Rhode Island mission is similar, but far less dangerous.
Beneath the New Orleans lies a Juliet 484 Russian submarine. Army and Navy divers are using the boat's ramp as a platform to survey the sub, which sank earlier this year.
"It sank this April after a particularly nasty nor'easter," Tartaglia explained.
The storm drove a massive wave into the harbor, and because the submarine was modified to include hatches that allow tourists onto the vessel, it was no longer watertight, he said.
Divers have removed the fore and aft visitor hatches and will replace them with dams. This will make the submarine watertight and allow the team to pump water out of one hatch while the other remains open allowing air to enter and causing it to become buoyant and float back to the surface.
"It's in shallow water. ... The deepest part is about 35 feet," Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class William F. Stetson IV, one of the divers, said. "So it's easy to get down to." Stetson is with Mobile Diving Salvage Unit 2 from Little Creek, Va.
The teams of divers have been surveying the sub to come up with the safest and most practical way to raise it. "We're in phase one of a two-part phase mission," Stetson said. "We've connected four wires and hydraulic cords to keep it stable and prevent it from going any further into the channel. (In the second phase), another team will come back and actually raise the sub."
As further insurance to stabilize the sub when it is raised in 2008, four 7,200 pound anchors called "dead men" have been buried in holes 10 feet deep and wide, and they have been attached to the submarine. The anchors also are being used to pull the submarine toward the pier with hopes it will slightly right itself and resurface.
"This is an excellent mission," Sgt. Kristopher Stribbling said. "To get the chance to come out here and dive on a Russian submarine is phenomenal," the Army diver added. "It's a very unique mission being a submarine, so it has all kinds of new knowledge to take back to the unit."
All parties involved agreed that the knowledge acquired from such a unique dive is invaluable. "You don't get to salvage a vessel like this very often," Stetson said.
But for the historians involved in the sub's recovery, it's not just about the salvage training. "We need to preserve it for historical value," Frank Lennon, of the Russian Submarine Museum, said.
Museum officials and locals of Providence aren't the only ones hopeful, however, that the recovery mission will succeed.
"When it comes up, I hope they find that they can restore it, so I can come back and visit it while it's above the water," Stetson said.
(Army Spc. Morrene E. Randell is assigned to the 204th Public Affairs Detachment.)
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