By Jon Fleshman
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 11, 2008 - Friends, yoga, a family support group, online courses, a trip to England and a toddler lifted 24-year-old Samantha Windell out of her funk when her husband, Chase, went to war. "The first few months after my husband deployed were miserable," Windell admitted from her home in Bamberg, Germany. "I wanted to stay at home the whole time."
When Spc. Chase Windell deployed to Afghanistan in May 2007, Sam had just arrived in Europe on her first assignment as an Army spouse, if you don't count basic and advanced individual training.
"Three days after I arrived and joined Chase, he left for a month of field training a month before he deployed," Sam said. "He's seen his kid all of two months of his life."
Damion is Sam and Chase's 14-month-old son. Dad was there for his birth, however, and he did get to see Damion walking when he returned for rest and recuperation.
"He's a miniature replica of my husband," Sam confided. "Every time I look at him, I'm reminded of Chase."
Mom and son aren't housebound anymore though. Every other afternoon they head to the home of best friend Lauren Kemp, whose husband also is deployed. While Sam and Lauren release their stress through yoga, Damion plays with Lauren's 4- and 5-year-olds, Emory and Darby. The families often share grocery expenses and have meals together.
They also travel together. To fight the holiday blues, they found discount flights, and moms and kids visited London for Thanksgiving.
"The biggest change I've seen in Sam is that she's become independent," said Lauren, whose husband, Spc. Dustin Kemp, is in the same unit as Chase: Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Special Troops Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. The Kemps are experiencing their fourth deployment as a married couple, so Lauren has a veteran's perspective.
"Sam has learned who she is," Lauren continued, "outside of being Damion's mom and Chase's wife. It's the most important thing the spouse of a deployed soldier can learn -- especially during the first deployment."
Lauren explained that during this time of growth and change, communication between deployed spouse and home-front spouse is critical. She warned: "If not, hubby comes home and asks, 'Who are you?' and, 'What have you done with my wife?'"
Sam and son are definitely staying in touch with their soldier downrange. She said her husband calls her every chance he gets, which averages about every two to three days. They also communicate by instant messenger and e-mail daily, and she estimates she has sent "a million and a half care packages." In addition, they have Web cams that are crystal clear.
"When Chase came home on R&R, Damion ran to his dad. It was really sweet," Sam recalled. "He's at an age where he's a little afraid of strangers, but he knew who his daddy was."
Family-oriented activities that she can share with her son are one of the things Sam likes about her family readiness group. Besides family readiness group special events, she attends monthly meetings and has found the group's leader to be a good source of accurate information and support.
"The FRG opened a whole new avenue for me," Sam said. "You meet all the unit spouses, and the battalion FRG also holds events and will bring all the company FRGs together. Right now we're making welcome-home baskets for all the single soldiers in the unit."
In turn, the unit's family readiness group benefits from Sam's professional skills. She has a bachelor's in political science, accounting and international business and is working on a master's in business administration. Sam volunteers as her family readiness group's treasurer.
"She's helped to make sure our books stay right," said Janelle Walden, the unit's FRG leader. "She has given her knowledge to others and helped them with financial planning."
When the two first met, Walden remembers Sam keeping to herself, as it was obvious she was new to Army life.
"Being an Army spouse is about sharing and mutual support. She is a true example of that and has shown herself to be a priceless asset," Walden said.
The rear detachment is another resource the Colebrook, Ohio, native recommends, along with family readiness groups and Army Community Service orientation and empowerment courses. Sam said that when she hears rumors about her husband's unit or just needs information, she goes to the rear detachment sergeant for the straight answer. And if the sergeant doesn't have the information readily available, she goes out on her own to find it for Sam.
Samantha Windell's short answer to the secret of living successfully as the spouse of a deployed soldier is simple: "Get out there and get involved."
(Jon Fleshman is assigned to the Public Affairs Office of U.S. Army Garrison Vicenza.)
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
March 11, 2008 - Every chance he gets, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen stops to visit wounded warriors, and yesterday was no exception. "These are young men and women serving their country," he said during an interview. "Those wounded in the war have sacrificed an extraordinary amount. Their lives have changed forever. Their families' lives have changed forever. They deserve the best this country can give them."
How the country treats those wounded in its service is a top priority to the chairman. He has visited the Wounded Warrior Battalion at Camp Pendleton, Calif.; the Warrior Transition Unit at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; and wounded warriors at the National Naval Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md., and Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington.
At each place, he wants to ensure everything that can be done for the young men and women is being done.
Mullen said the Defense Department, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the American people must band together to provide a world-class care system for these men and women that "has to be seamless to be as supportive as we can."
After speaking privately with wounded soldiers here, Mullen said they were satisfied with the Warrior Transition Unit chain of command and how they are being led. "I was pleased to hear that, because I worry about them being detached from their main units because they are wounded, and the camaraderie, esprit, connection they have with their battle buddies" is broken, the chairman said.
But wounded warriors here still encounter shortcomings. The unit doesn't have enough doctors to get the 413 wounded soldiers here "through the system" quickly, Mullen said. "It's too slow; it's taking them way too long," he said. "We've got to figure a way to streamline that process. There is great frustration on their part. They told me that their spouses were much more stressed out than they even were, and that gets to the family piece of this."
Mullen said he visits such units to get a feel for what is going on. "In a small group like that, they'll open up," he said. "They are all trying to answer the question, 'What am I going to do with the rest of my life?' They want to be everything they can be, and we owe them every opportunity to answer that question as rapidly as possible, get them into the best position they can be."
Warrior transition units have representatives from Veterans Affairs, the Department of Labor, state veteran affairs offices, and nongovernmental organizations. The commander of the unit here, which has been in operation only six months, said the unit's job is to speed the process and prepare wounded young men and women for the future. "Our job is to get their toolbox as full as possible," said Army Col. Kelly A. Wolgast, the commander of Evans Army Community Hospital here.
This fits in with Mullen's insistence that the services start stressing what wounded warriors are able to do, rather than stressing what they can't do. While disability payments are important, these young men and women represent the best of America, and they still have much to contribute, he said.
He said he was encouraged upon hearing how a group of the wounded warriors from Fort Carson had recently returned from a career fair in Florida. A veterans' group sponsored the trip.
"That kind of support is invaluable because that starts to get at their key question: What can I do?" the admiral said.
NAVY
Bell-Boeing Joint Program Office, Patuxent River, Md., is being awarded a $78,500,000 indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract for the V-22 Full Flight Simulator (FFS) and Flight Training Device (FTD) products and revisions. This contract will provide analysis, design, development, upgrade, enhancements, integration, installation, test, training, maintenance, logistical support and configuration management for V-22 FFS and FTD training devices, Aircraft Common Operational Equipment (ACOE), FFS and FTD training device spare parts. The contract also includes the incorporation of V-22 Training Equipment Change Requests in to FFS and FTD training devices. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (50 percent); and Philadelphia, Pa. (50 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Systems Command, Orlando, Fla., is the contracting activity (N61339-08-D-0004).
Canadian Commercial Corp., General Dynamics Land Systems Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, is being awarded $7,166,492 for firm-fixed-priced delivery order modification under previously awarded contract (M67854-07-D-5028) for the purchase of OCONUS Field Service Representatives (FSR). Work will be performed in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom areas of operation, and work is expected to be completed April 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
General Dynamics, Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Conn., is being awarded a $6,890,000 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-96-C-2100) for the execution of the USS Texas (SSN 775) post shakedown availability. Work will be performed in Groton, Conn., and is expected to be completed by May 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding Conversion and Repair, Groton, Conn., is the contracting activity.
Rolls Royce Corp., Indianapolis, Ind., is being awarded a $6,490,000 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00019-03-D-0002) to provide for logistics support, technical engineering support services, and spare engines and associated parts for the U.S. Marine Corps KC-130J, which includes the AE2100D3 turboprop engine and R391 propeller. Work will be performed in Cherry Point, N.C., and work is expected to be completed in May 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Electro Mechanical Corp., Cheswick, Pa., is being awarded a $5,527,903 firm-fixed-price supply contract for one advanced secondary propulsion unit for the USS Jimmy Carter (SSN 23). Work will be performed in Cheswick, Pa., and work is to be completed by March 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Puget Sound is the contracting activity (N00406-08-C-8005).
ARMY
Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Co., Simsbury, Conn., was awarded on March 7, 2008, a $69,061,510 firm-fixed price contract for 485 XM19 Abrams reactive armor tile sets. Work will be performed in Simsbury, Conn. and Graham, Ky., and is expected to be completed by June 30, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were six bids solicited on June 29, 2007, and two bids were received. The U.S. Army Joint Munitions and Lethality Life Cycle Command, Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., is the contracting activity W15QKN-08-C-008.
Ttec-Tesoro, Joint Venture, Norcross, Ga., was awarded on March 7, 2008, a $21,479,000 firm-fixed price contract for design-build of the Consolidated Drill Sergeant School which includes classrooms, dining facility and administrative areas. Work will be performed at Fort Jackson, S.C., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were four bids solicited on Nov. 1, 2007, and four bids were received. The U.S. Army Engineer District, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity W912HN-07-D-0058.
FN Manufacturing Inc., Columbia, S.C., was awarded on March 10, 2008, a $7,674,529.59 firm-fixed price contract for 17,433 M249 Short Barrels. Work will be performed in Columbia, S.C., and is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bid solicited on Sept. 24, 2003, and one bid was received. The U.S. Army TACOM LCMC, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity DAAE20-03-C-0100.
AIR FORCE
McDonnell Douglas Corp., A Wholly-Owned Subsidiary of the Boeing Company, Long Beach, Calif., is being awarded a contract modification for $10,290,683. This contract is for FY07 Award Fee payment for the period 1 April 2007 thru 30 September 2007. The award fee is based on performance on the Globemaster III Sustainment Partnership (GSP) Program. At this time $10,290,683 has been obligated. MSW/C17SG/PKS, Wright-Patterson AFB is the contracting activity (FA8614-04-C-2004 P00230).
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
March 11, 2008 - The selection of Northrop Grumman Corp. to build the next-generation air-refueling tanker aircraft followed a fair competition and was based on the merits of the proposals submitted, a senior Defense Department official told reporters today. Bryan Whitman, deputy assistant secretary for public affairs, said the challenges like the one filed yesterday by the Boeing Company are built into the acquisition process to ensure it complies with federal regulations.
The Boeing Company filed a formal protest yesterday asking the Government Accountability Office to review the decision to contract with Northrop Grumman to build up to 179 KC-45A aircraft over the next decade. The Air Force announced the decision Feb. 29.
Northrop Grumman partnered with Airbus to compete against Boeing Corp. for the $35 billion contract.
If Boeing elects to challenge the process, the department "will take the necessary steps to ensure that is given the appropriate treatment," Whitman said today.
GAO has 100 days to review the contract award and determine whether the Defense Department followed appropriate processes and procedures, he said.
"We believe that it was a very fair competition, transparent to the extent that any competition can be with the request for proposal process, and that the decision made by the department was based on merit," Whitman said. "So we will see."
During a Feb. 29 news conference announcing the contract decision, the Air Force acquisition chief said the Northrop Grumman proposal offered "the best value to the government" and earned top marks for mission capability, past performance and other factors.
Sue C. Payton, assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, insisted that "no bias" was involved in the contract award.
Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne said the Air Force looks forward to the vastly superior air-fueling capabilities the next-generation tankers will offer over the current fleet of Eisenhower-era KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft they will replace.
"This is a platform we have been working on for some time, and clearly we want to move this program forward in an expeditious manner," Whitman said today. "But challenges are part of the process and built into the system to ensure that the rigor and integrity of the federal acquisition regulation is followed. We are prepared to do that, and we will do that. "
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
March 11, 2008 - Six New Hampshire volunteers committed to making sure deployed troops get the sendoffs and homecomings yesterday found themselves on the receiving end of the thanks they regularly extend -- from the commander in chief himself and others on Capitol Hill and in the Pentagon. Six "Pease Greeters" are spending their second day in the nation's capital after getting honored for their work yesterday by President Bush in the White House Oval Office, New Hampshire Sen. John Sununu on Capitol Hill, and defense officials at the Pentagon.
The president offered personal thanks to the Pease Greeters, who shower deploying and redeploying soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines with applause, handshakes and snacks as their aircraft refuel at Portsmouth International Airport at Pease, in New Hampshire. "He thanked us for what we are doing and told us that it's important for Americans like us to show appreciation to and support the troops," said Edmund Johnson, a Korean War veteran who co-chairs the group. "It was a tremendous honor for all of us!"
The greeters started almost three years ago as a band of veterans from the Marine Corps League of New Hampshire who met incoming flights from overseas. Since then, their numbers have swelled into the hundreds, and the Pease Greeters haven't missed a single inbound or outbound flight, Johnson said.
As many as 200 greeters gather to provide boisterous heroes' welcomes to returning troops and encouragement to those headed overseas.
The greeters range from young schoolchildren to feisty, 87-year-old Anna Labrie, many driving as much as 100 miles to greet flights any hour of the day or night, Johnson said. They assemble within an hour's notice, hoisting banners, snapping photos and offering hugs along with coffee, pizza or treats baked by the group's "cookie lady," Kelly Eaton.
Just before the troops reboard their aircraft, group chaplain Hank Page offers a prayer for their protection. "I feel I have to do this. It's a duty," said Page, a Korean War veteran. At 73, Page said he's too old to fight himself, but young enough to offer any support he can to those going off to war. "Being able to say a prayer for these guys is so humbling," he said. "It's a very emotional experience."
Page bristles when he thinks back to the reception troops received when they returned home from Vietnam. "While there's breath in my body, that's not going to happen -- not at Pease, anyway," he said.
Al Weston, maintenance manager at the airport, said he "got hooked" on greeting troops the first time he volunteered to help. "You get caught up in it all, seeing (the Pease Greeters) in their bright, red suits clapping and cheering," he said. "When (troops) walk away from here, they know that people care."
Just before troops leave, the Peace Greeters render a sharp salute, recognizing those they say are continuing the tradition of military service. "We talk about warriors as a brotherhood," Johnson said. "We tell them that we're the old warriors, supporting them, the new warriors, and offer them our salute in recognition of what they're doing for our country."
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
March 11, 2008 - It's hard to imagine that Frank Cavanagh, a tall thin Army Reserve sergeant with a shaved head, once had hair nearly to his shoulders and played bass for the rock band Filter. Cavanaugh said he didn't tell anyone he'd gone through basic and advanced individual military training for some three years. He also didn't tell anyone in his reserve unit that he had been in a successful rock band.
"I didn't want either positive or negative attitudes," he said. "I just wanted to be a soldier and get along, just because we're all soldiers; we're all equal."
It may be hard to believe that a verifiable "rock star" would give up a successful career for a soldier's life, but Cavanagh had his reasons. "I've done everything I wanted to do in life with music," he said. "After the band went on hiatus, I was like, 'What have I not done in life?' I've got a beautiful family, beautiful kids. I love music, but I love my country.'"
So, at 35, Cavanagh, followed in his father, uncle and brother's footsteps and volunteered to serve his country. He's a "27 Delta," Army-speak for a paralegal, and said he loves his job. "There's nothing more important to me, really, than what a soldier does," he said. "You get called upon to do things, and sometimes you don't like it. But, hey, that's alright. There's a higher purpose for it."
The rock star turned soldier soon will come back through Camp Buehring on his way to Iraq for his first tour. But first, he had one more concert to get out of the way.
Cavanagh was in Kuwait to reunite with his old band, Filter, during "Operation MySpace." More specifically, the concert reunited the sergeant with Richard Patrick, Filter's only remaining original member and lead singer.
MySpace social networking Web site presented the show yesterday with cooperation from Armed Forces Entertainment, a group that brings entertainment to deployed troops, and America Supports You, a Defense Department program that connects citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families worldwide.
"We really wanted it to happen. It's a bridge between the two worlds," Patrick said. "We're coming over here to play rock music, and Frank's in the military. Let's bridge the two worlds and let everybody know it's really one world."
Though it was a happy compromise, the reunion in Kuwait wasn't quite what Patrick had originally hoped for.
"I'm a reservist, and (Rich) had called me up about five months ago and was like, 'Hey, I'm putting a new record out, and I want you to come help me with it and go back on tour," Cavanagh said. "I was like, 'Buddy, I'm going on a different kind of a tour. It's gonna be a hot one, too.'"
Cavanagh's decision to enlist was no surprise to Patrick, however. The singer knew his buddy loved his country and the military.
"Knowing everything about Frank, ... Frank's a patriot and he's going to be exactly who he is," Patrick said. "(The hiatus) gave Frank a lot of time off ... to sit and think about what else is out there. It was the (right) time for him to just go, 'Look, I have this opportunity, I'm going to do it.'
"He decided to go into the military and serve his country. I think that's great," Patrick added.
The fact that Cavanagh was going to be at the concert made it all the more meaningful for Patrick and the other members of Filter. In fact, playing for the troops was the first goal on his list when he decided to put his band back together.
"It's a total honor," he said. "You're traveling over here, and it's time zone changes, and you feel like a zombie, but when you see the people you came for, it's instantly worth it," he said. "It's a hell of an experience."
The experience paid off big for the troops when Cavanagh, sans his rock star hair, joined his former band for one song during the concert that also featured comedian Carlos Mencia, actress/singer Jessica Simpson, the bands Disturbed and the Pussycat Dolls, and DJ Z-Trip.
Now, it's back to soldiering for Cavanagh, at least for the next year.
"Of course, in a year, I would love to come back and play with Filter," Cavanagh said. "The itch to play music and be in Filter will never leave me."
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
March 11, 2008 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today reluctantly accepted Navy Adm. William J. "Fox" Fallon's letter of resignation as commander of U.S. Central Command and request for retirement. Fallon's resignation will take effect March 31, Gates said in a Pentagon news conference. His deputy, Army Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, will take over as acting CENTCOM commander until a permanent replacement is nominated and confirmed.
Gates told reporters Fallon advised him of his decision this morning, citing what the admiral called "the current embarrassing situation of public perception of differences between my views and administration policy and the distraction this causes from the mission."
"Recent press reports suggesting a disconnect between my views and the president's policy objectives have become a distraction at a critical time and hamper efforts in the CENTCOM region," Fallon said in a statement released by CENTCOM. "And although I don't believe there have ever been any differences about the objectives of our policy in the Central Command area of responsibility, the simple perception that there is makes it difficult for me to effectively serve America's interests there."
Fallon said this disconnect led him to conclude "that it would be best to step aside and allow the secretary and our military leaders to move beyond this distraction ... and focus on the achievement of our strategic objectives in the region."
Gates said Fallon reached this difficult decision entirely on his own and that he had approved it "with reluctance and regret."
The secretary said he informed President Bush of Fallon's decision and his plan to accept it earlier today. "The president has made clear all along that these matters are to be handled strictly within the Department of Defense," he said.
"I believe it was the right thing to do, even though I do not believe there are, in fact, significant differences between his views and administration policy," he said.
Some of the misperceptions involved perceived differences over U.S. policies regarding Iran. Gates said Fallon fully supported the administration's policy of trying to deal with the Iranian challenge through diplomatic and economic pressures and sanctions.
"So I don't think that there really were differences at all," Gates said. "But I think there is this misperception out there that there were."
Months of trying to "put this misperception behind us," it hasn't succeeded, he said.
Gates said he agreed with Fallon's assessment that whether true or not, he agrees that any misperceptions about the policy proved to be distractions from the mission. "That's why I believe he's made the right decision," he said.
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he supports Gates' decision to accept Fallon's resignation and request for retirement. "I also respect the reasons for which Admiral Fallon submitted it and applaud his ability to recognize the responsibility before him," the chairman said.
"By his leadership and through the example he continues to set with this decision today, he has demonstrated to future generations of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen the highest sense of personal honor and dignity," Mullen continued.
Gates said Fallon will be difficult to replace. "He is enormously talented, very experienced, and he does have a strategic vision that is rare," the secretary said. "So it does leave a hole."
He expressed confidence, however, that a skilled and qualified replacement will be found among the many talented senior military officers.
The secretary praised Fallon's distinguished 40-year military career that included leadership of U.S. Pacific Command and most recently, U.S. Central Command. "Fox Fallon has led our nation and hundreds of thousands of men and women in uniform with conviction, strategic vision, integrity and courage," Gates said.
"As commander of CENTCOM, he has managed with skill and diplomacy the mounting challenges across the broader Middle East and has kept foremost in mind the need to protect our vital national security interests in the region," the secretary said. "Fox Fallon has dedicated his life to the preservation of the freedoms we in this nation enjoy today, and all Americans should be deeply grateful for his dedication. On behalf of the Department of Defense and the nation, I thank him for his years of selfless service."
Mullen and Bush shared Gates' admiration of Fallon. "On behalf of the men and women of the armed forces, I extend to him and his family my heartfelt gratitude for the extraordinary service they have rendered this nation for more than four decades -- afloat and ashore, in peace and in war," Mullen said.
"Bill Fallon is an extraordinary leader, a visionary and a good friend who answered our country's call time and time again in positions of ever greater responsibility," he said. "He had an enormous impact, not only on the way we operate and fight in this new century, but also on the way in which we stay engaged globally."
Bush noted in a statement released by the White House that Fallon made history as the first naval officer to command Central Command.
"From the Horn of Africa, to the streets of Baghdad, to the mountains of Afghanistan, the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen of Central Command are vital to the global war on terror," the president said. "During his tenure at CENTCOM, Admiral Fallon's job has been to help ensure that America's military forces are ready to meet the threats of an often-troubled region of the world, and he deserves considerable credit for progress that has been made there, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan."
Bush expressed thanks to Fallon for serving the United States "with honor, determination and commitment," and to the family that has supported his military service. "I wish them all the best as they begin the next chapter in their lives," he said.
Commenting on his nearly-42-year career, Fallon said today he is "grateful for having had this opportunity to serve with the outstanding service personnel and civilians of Central Command.
"It has been my high honor to have served my nation and the Navy for four decades, and I thank all of you who continue to serve," he said.
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
March 11, 2008 - The top U.S. general in Korea told Congress today he supports three-year, family-accompanied tours in Korea in light of planned operational and quality-of-life changes under way there. Army Gen. Burwell B. Bell, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, told the Senate Armed Services Committee the current basing policy needs to change to fall in line with those in Europe and Japan and to reflect the Republic of Korea's vast transformation.
"In 55 years, the Republic of Korea has transformed from a war-ravaged country to one of the most modern, progressive and democratic countries in the world," he said, adding that is has become an economic powerhouse.
"Unfortunately, in a modern and vibrant Republic of Korea, the U.S. still rotates servicemembers on one-year, unaccompanied assignments as though this remained an active combat zone," he said. "It is not."
Bell cited operational changes taking place on the peninsula that make now the appropriate time for "normalized" tours there. Plans are moving forward to move 2nd Infantry Division and U.S. joint-force elements from their current location at Yongsan Garrison to south of Seoul. In addition to returning valuable land in the capital city to the Koreans, the move will provide significant quality-of-life improvements for troops there, Bell said.
Another major development in South Korea is the plan to transfer wartime operational control of the Republic of Korea military to South Korea by 2012, he said. The U.S.-led Combined Forces Command transferred peacetime control of those forces to the Republic of Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1994.
Bell pointed to the situation in Europe, when during the Cold War and in the face of the Soviet and Warsaw Pact war machine, the military encouraged troops to bring their families with them for the length of their tours. "This created a stable military and sent a strong message of U.S. commitment and reliability to our European allies," he said.
The short, unaccompanied tours in place for Korea send the opposite message there, he said: "that we either expect imminent conflict or that we are not fully committed and can withdraw our forces on a moment's notice."
South Korea supports the tour extension, which Bell said could be implemented with an infrastructure-expansion plan over 10 to 15 years. Costs would be subjected to burden-sharing negotiations between the two countries, he said.
In addition to sending a clear message of U.S. commitment, Bell said extended tour lengths would offer other benefits: improved continuity, stability, readiness and the retention of regional, institutional and cultural knowledge. It would reduce permanent-change-of-station disruptions and costs, and cut the number of family separations beyond those already forced by wartime rotations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Bell told the senators the Defense Department is considering the formal proposal he submitted and said he's hopeful the department will endorse the plan. "Endorsement of this proposal will provide our servicemembers a better quality of life, strengthen the U.S.-ROK alliance, and send a powerful message to the nations of the area of America's long-term commitment to stability and security in Northeast Asia," he said.
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
March 10, 2008 - President Bush today thanked Poland's prime minister for his country's support in Iraq and Afghanistan and promised that, as the United States and Poland explore plans for a proposed missile defense system, the U.S. will help Poland modernize its military. Bush sat alongside Prime Minister Donald Tusk following a far-ranging White House meeting the president said included discussions about "the significant threat to the 21st century" -- the potential launch of a missile with dangerous materials in its warhead.
"Technologies are developing that will enable the free world to be able to defend itself from blackmail and/or strife from these ... types of launches," Bush said. "And we're in discussions with Poland about how we can help the mutual security of the region."
The president said he assured Tusk that the system, part of it to be emplaced in Poland, would reflect Poland's sovereignty and not subject its people to undue security risks. Bush also underscored that the system would not be aimed at Russia.
"This system is designed for the threats of the 21st century," he said. "The system is necessary to deal with the realities of the threats."
There's still a lot of work left in moving the concept from a strategy on paper to a detailed plan that can be implemented, the president said. "And so our experts are working through a system to make sure that the people of Poland are comfortable with the idea," he said.
Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell today told reporters the United States is working with the Poles "to allay whatever concerns they have about basing part of the missile defense system within their territory."
The president acknowledged Poland's stated need to modernize its forces and said the United States will help. "The first part of a response, of course, is to take inventory of needs," Bush said. "And Mr. Prime Minister, before my watch is over, we will have assessed those needs and come up with a modernization plan that's concrete and tangible."
Poland approached the United States several months ago expressing a desire to modernize its air defenses if it is to take on what it perceives as additional risks associated with hosting missile interceptors, Morrell said.
"And so we have agreed to conduct talks with them, not only on missile defense, but simultaneously about modernizing their air defenses," Morrell said. "So these are two separate and yet related negotiations that are taking place, but (they are) not at the agreement point yet."
Tusk said today's talks confirmed that the United States and Poland can count on each other as friends and can work cooperatively toward developing a missile defense system and in modernizing Poland's military.
"Our joint intention is to cooperate in all aspects of global security, American security and Polish security," Tusk said. "And an element of the security is the missile defense system."
Bush opened today's press availability praising Poland for its role in operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.
"I want to thank you for your nation's contributions to the liberation of people in Iraq and Afghanistan," Bush told Tusk. "Your troops have performed brilliantly, and they'll be coming home based upon success."
The president thanked the Polish people for sacrifices they've made in both countries and noted that they're helping the citizens of Afghanistan and Iraq realize the liberty and peace Poland has come to enjoy.
"The people of Poland stand as an example of freedom and liberty," Bush said. "This is a nation ... that has resisted tyranny and now lives as an example of a free society."
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
March 10, 2008 - All active and reserve components met or topped their recruiting goals for February, Defense Department officials announced today. The February successes marked the ninth straight month in which all four services met or exceeded their active-duty goals.
The numbers came as particularly good news within the reserve components, which experienced some recruiting shortfalls in December and January following a strong November.
The Army recruited 6,120 active-duty soldiers in February, topping its goal by 2 percent. It also recruited 5,793 new members into the Army National Guard and 3,599 into the Army Reserve -- 116 percent of both components' monthly goals.
The Navy met both its active and reserve recruiting goals for February, bringing 2,947 active-duty sailors and 899 Navy reservists into the fleet.
The Air Force met its goal of recruiting 2,023 active-duty airmen 634 Air Force reservists, and topped its Air National Guard goal by 9 percent, with 700 Air Guardsmen entering the force.
The Marine Corps exceeded its February goal by a whopping 37 percent, bringing 1,915 active-duty Marines into the corps, and met its goal of signing on 483 Marine Corps reservists.
Defense officials expressed confidence today that across-the-board successes throughout the reserve components put them back on track toward achieving their yearly goals by Sept. 30.
Assistant Defense Secretary for Reserve Affairs Thomas F. Hall said he's delighted that the reserve components have achieved 109 percent of their year-to-date recruiting goals through the first five months of fiscal 2008 -- October through February.
"Not only are recruiting numbers impressive, but the quality is remaining high while attrition numbers are extremely low," Hall said.
Hall said he's often asked why recruiting numbers are so good despite the fact that the war on terrorism puts continuing stress on the military.
"The answers are many, but primarily our recruiters are working hard, and the taxpayers are offering exceptional pay and benefits to our troops," he said.
"And most importantly, in my view, these young Americans are demonstrating that patriotism and national service to are alive and well. We are proud of these young Americans and are honored to serve alongside and with them."
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. Army Air Forces airman, missing since 1942, have been identified and will soon be returned to his family for burial.
He is Aviation Cadet Ernest G. Munn, U.S. Army Air Forces, of St. Clairsville, Ohio. He will be buried in May in Colerain, Ohio.
Representatives from the Army met with Munn'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.
Munn was one of four men aboard a routine navigation training flight that departed Mather Field, Calif., on Nov. 18, 1942. Their AT-7 Navigator aircraft carried about five hours of fuel, and when the plane did not return to base, a search was initiated. It was suspended about a month later with no results.
In 1947, several hikers on Darwin Glacier in the Sierra Nevada mountain range discovered the wreckage of the AT-7 aircraft. Fragmentary, skeletal remains found at the site were buried as a group in the Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, Calif.
Then in October 2005, other hikers in the Sierra Nevadas discovered frozen human remains, circumstantial evidence and personal effects of an aircrew member. Park rangers from Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and a forensic anthropologist from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) recovered the remains. They were sent to the JPAC laboratory in Hawaii and identified as Cadet Leo M. Mustonen, one of the four men aboard the AT-7 aircraft.
In 2007, two other hikers found human remains near the 2005 discovery site. 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 a second individual from the 1942 crew, Cadet Ernest G. Munn.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Bahrain Maritime and Merchantile International, Sitra, Bahrain, is being awarded a maximum $2,801,334,120 firm fixed price, prime vendor contract for supply and distribution of food and non-food products. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force , Marine Corps and other approved customers located in the Middle East countries of Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. This proposal was originally Web solicited with 5 responses. This contract is exercising its first term option period. Date of performance completion is March 10, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa. (SPM300-08-D-3131).
AIR FORCE
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Corp. in Sunnyvale, Calif., is being awarded a firm fixed price contract for $350,000,000. This action is for the Space Based Infrared Systems (SBIRS) Geostationary Earth Orbit satellite 3 (GEO 3) and Highly Elliptical Earth Orbit payload 3 (HEO 3) long-lead effort. The intent of the letter contract is to maintain the best possible GEO 3 and HEO 3 delivery dates for replenishment of strategic missile warning satellites and payloads. In addition, the letter contract facilitates the retention of critical payload engineering skills required to start the long lend redesign activities. At this time $175,000,000 has been obligated. Space Based Infrared Systems, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., is the contracting activity (FA8810-08-C-0002).
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Integrated Systems Air Combat Systems in San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a fixed price incentive firm target contract for $73,590,137. This action will provide long lead parts/advance procurement for the following low rate initial production Lot 7 items: three multi platform-radar technology insertion program sensors. At this time $33,890,137 has been obligated. 303 AESG/PK, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-08-C-4015).
ARMY
General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems Inc., was awarded on March 7, 2008, a $87,751,597 basic ordering agreement with firm-fixed price delivery orders contract for the small caliber ammunition second source prime contractor for the production of small arms ammunition.. Work will be performed in St. Petersburg, Fla., and is expected to be completed by Aug 23, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were an unknown number of bids solicited via the World Wide Web on Jan. 18, 2005, and two bids were received. The Headquarters, U.S. Army Field Support Command, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity W52P1J-05-G-0002.
General Dynamics Land Systems, Inc., Sterling Heights, Mich., was awarded on March 6, 2008, a $15,702,348 cost-plus-fixed fee contract for system technical support for the Abrams Tank Program to include modification work order hardware and installation, supply support, contingency operations and field service representative. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, Mich., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bid solicited on June 8, 2006, and one bid was received. The U.S. Army Tank-automotive & Armaments Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity W56HZV-07-C-0046.
Charpie-Sollitt Joint Venture, Chicago, was awarded on March 7, 2008, a $6,001,000 firm-fixed price contract for construction of regional training facility medical, Fort McCoy, Wis. Work will be performed at Fort McCoy, Wis., and is expected to be completed by Aug. 29, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were an unknown number of bids solicited via FedBizOpps on Dec. 6, 2007, and four bids were received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, Louisville, Ky., is the contracting activity W912QR-08-C-001.
NAVY
Kollmorgen Corporation, Electro-Optical Division, Northampton, Mass., is being awarded a $6,827,132 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-6227) for nine Virginia Class Universal Modular Mast (UMM) Systems. The UMM Program provides for the development and acquisition of a non-hull penetrating mast that serves as a lifting mechanism for five sensor configurations on the Virginia Class and SSGN Class submarines: the Photonics Mast (PM), the Multi-Function Mast, the Integrated Electronic Mast, the High Data Rate Mast and the Photonics Mast Variant. Each sensor is mounted on a UMM. Work will be performed in Northampton, Mass. (20 percent) and Bologna, Italy (80 percent), and work is expected to be completed by November 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity.
By Capt. Russell S. Cunningham, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 10, 2008 - Staying involved in the lives of loved ones is a challenge for many deployed soldiers. Starting in April 2007, Task Force Pacemaker communication specialists helped soldiers overcome this major challenge by providing civilian Internet in their quarters.
With an ever-expanding population here, the existing Morale, Welfare and Recreation system has not been sufficient to accommodate soldiers without long wait times and minimal actual time on the system. Many times, soldiers would stay up late waiting to use the phone and end up cutting into their sleep, thereby affecting their work.
M. Sami Hashimi, CEO of Internet service provider AFSAT, said many units throughout Afghanistan have turned to a civilian Internet system to reduce the burden on MWR facilities.
The company purchases local or third-country satellite Internet systems to meet soldiers' needs. These systems range in size from a few friends in the same tent getting together to buy a system to more than 300 users spread across an expanding forward operating base.
These systems are user purchased, user resourced and user operated. The gains in family communication and morale have been considerable for TF Pacemaker, as a high operational tempo has made access to communications at all times important, officials said.
"There were many challenges in setting up the network," Army 1st Lt. Tabber Mintz said.
The largest of challenge was managing realistic expectations. Soldiers were briefed ahead of time on what to expect from the system so they were less likely to be dissatisfied with the service."
The second issue was ensuring all users agreed to follow set guidelines. Soldiers were able to use Web cams, instant messengers and voice applications.
"The final concern that needed to be addressed was the absence of the equipment needed to raise the quality of service to our soldiers," said Army Sgt. Jonathan Morris.
Morris and Mintz came up with innovative ways to resource necessary equipment. Mintz said this made the system much more efficient, allowing soldiers better access to Web-based applications.
Soldiers voice their appreciation on a daily basis for the ability to continue meaningful communications with loved ones and for the capacity to find ways to unwind and relax at the end of the day.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Daren Brekke, from Paradise, Mont., is a father of eight and uses the civilian Internet service to communicate with his family. "We are a long ways from home. Being able to communicate with loved ones via the civilian Internet and Web cam increases soldiers' morale and closes the disconnect between the soldiers and their families caused by lengthy and frequent deployments," he said.
(Army Capt. Russell S. Cunningham is assigned to Task Force Pacemaker.)
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
March 10, 2008 - Navy Adm. Mike Mullen arrived here yesterday for meetings with U.S. Northern Command leaders. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will meet with Air Force Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr. and his staff. NORTHCOM is the geographic command tasked with homeland defense. Renuart is also commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command, a joint U.S.-Canadian command. In addition to its aerospace-defense mission, NORAD also has picked up the maritime-defense mission.
The chairman will discuss ongoing operations, theater security cooperation, air and missile defense, NORTHCOM's outreach to state officials, and reserve-component contributions to the command.
Following talks here, the chairman and his party will move to near-by Fort Carson, where he will observe training and meet with Army soldiers of 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4the Infantry Division. The unit is deploying to Iraq.
Mullen also will visit the base's Warrior Transition Unit. The chairman makes a special effort to visit wounded warriors whenever he travels, officials said.
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
March 10, 2008 - Save for the crowd and the celebrity at its core, it could have been a day like any other for a soldier strumming his guitar in the recreation center here yesterday. Army Spc. Richard Baxter began playing the acoustic guitar just a few years ago, but yesterday he spent nearly 30 minutes jamming with Richard Patrick, guitar player and lead singer for the industrial rock band, Filter.
"It was the opportunity of a lifetime," said Baxter, a member of 352nd Military Police Company, a reserve unit out of Maryland. "It still hasn't set in yet."
Patrick and his band, Filter, and several other musical acts are at Camp Buehring today to play a concert for the troops. MySpace, the social networking Web site, is presenting the show in cooperation with Armed Forces Entertainment, a group that brings entertainment programs to deployed forces, and America Supports you, a Defense Department program that connects citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving worldwide.
"I'm actually a drummer, but I don't have a drum set," Baxter said. "Actually, the first time I came over here in (2003) is when I learned how to play a guitar."
Though Baxter has served in Iraq once before, he's a little apprehensive about this tour. "This time I have a wife and a daughter, things that make it a lot different," he said.
Despite his feelings on heading to Iraq soon, Baxter said the concert that brought Patrick and his band to Camp Buehring for a concert will be good for the troops.
"Our unit leaves Tuesday, and (the bands) play on Monday, so this is something that will be in our heads when we go 'up north.' (It'll) keep the edge off," Baxter said.
Army 1st Lt. Anh-Luan Huynh, also with 352nd MP Company, agreed. "It's definitely going to be a big morale boost," he said. "People are going to be in the right mindset (after the concert). They're going to be excited, happy."
Huynh also got in on the jam session thanks to Baxter. "It was a little bit crazy because Baxter was put on the spot, like, 'Ha, ha, look at you.' And all the sudden he's like, 'Why don't you play a song?'" Huynh said. "It was a little bit nerve-wracking. Who would have thought on a deployment that you'd get to jam out with the front man for Filter?"
Baxter may well have been trying to redirect the spotlight. "Baxter was so nervous," Patrick said. "I'm like, 'Dude, you play better than me. You're fine.'"
After playing a few songs with Baxter and then Huynh, Patrick noted the guitars the soldiers were playing were hard to keep tuned, even for a short time. "The guitars were bad, and I'm going to do everything in my power to get them two brand new acoustics," he said. "I'm calling my friends at Fender and get them some new acoustics."
Army Sgt. Frank Cavanagh, one of Patrick's former Filter band mates who had been watching the jam, took his friend's thought a step further. "For every (Morale, Welfare and Recreation center) over here in theater, (Rich and I are) going to try and get a jam room," he said. "We haven't even like really discussed it yet."
Patrick's reply came with no hesitation: "I'll help you with that, no problem."
The singer took time after the jam to sign autographs and talk with troops in the crowd.
Comedian Carlos Mencia will host the Operation MySpace concert featuring DJ Z-Trip, singer and actress Jessica Simpson, the bands Disturbed, Filter, and the Pussycat Dolls.
The concert will be streamed live via Web cast on the MySpace Web site at 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
March 7, 2008 - Air Force Capt. Edward V. Szczepanik thinks his experiences -- both good and bad -- can help the American people understand the challenges servicemembers face in the war on terror. The captain, a C-17 Globemaster III transport jet pilot based at McChord Air Force Base, Wash., is one of 12 servicemembers who have deployed in the war on terror who were selected to be part of the Defense Department's "Why We Serve" public-outreach program. He is traveling the country, telling his story to community, business and veterans group audiences and at other gatherings.
Now in its sixth quarterly iteration, the outreach program conceived by then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Peter Pace underscores an effort by the Defense Department to bridge gaps between military and civilian cultures. The program is apolitical by design, and speakers do not address department policies; rather, each member offers Americans a glimpse of military life as seen through the eyes of someone in uniform.
Szczepanik was part of 8th Airlift Squadron operating out of Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan.
"We flew in and out of Afghanistan, Kuwait and other bases in Central Asia and the Middle East," Szczepanik said. "We delivered personnel and supplies to U.S. and NATO forces.
Kyrgyzstan became independent following the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991. Manas is the main point of entry for troops entering and leaving Afghanistan. Szczepanik and his unit deployed there for four months.
The captain said he wants to talk with audiences about life in the military and life overseas. "There are many people who don't know anyone in the military," he said. "It's important for them to know what we do and why we do it." The American people need to understand that servicemembers are all volunteers, "and that we're normal people," he said.
Szczepanik said he always knew he wanted to be in the Air Force. His grandfather served in the Army Air Forces during World War II as a maintenance technician on P-51 Mustangs. Szczepanik is from Columbus, Ohio, and was commissioned out of the ROTC program at Miami (Ohio) University in 2003.
He will let audiences know what he and his crew did in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. "I'll talk about conditions in and around Manas and what I saw when I flew into Afghanistan," he said. "We didn't get off the air bases, but I can tell them about the conditions that airmen work under in country and how they live.
"What impressed me was the servicemembers at these bases (in Afghanistan) do as much, if not more, than we do at established bases in the States, but with a lot less," Szczepanik said.
He said he also wants to give Americans an idea of the cultures that U.S. servicemembers operate in. At Manas, the captain and other airmen volunteered to help a local school. "Our job was to mow the grass in the playground," he said. "I figured we'd be given old manual push mowers. But no. The principal of the school handed us sickles and sharpening stones," he continued. "I'm Midwest born and bred, and while I've seen pictures, I've never used one. We did the job, but it was a learning experience."
Szczepanik also will tell U.S. audiences of the cost of war. "My last mission in Afghanistan was a human remains mission," he said. "We took a fallen Special Forces officer out of Bagram (Air Base, Afghanistan) to Manas for transfer back to the States."
There is a ceremony plane-side as an honor guard loads the remains on the aircraft. "After the ceremony was finished, members of his unit came up and shook each of our hands and said thank you and told us to take care of him," Szczepanik said. "For me, of all the experiences I had during the deployment, it was the most emotional and most eye-opening. It showed me what the cost for freedom is and the sacrifices people are making. It really meant a lot to me that I could be a part of that."
By Jamie Findlater
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 7, 2008 - Troops with sound personal finances are better able to focus on mission accomplishment, a Defense Department official said yesterday. "While you are deployed in harm's way, your focus has to be on the mission at hand; it shouldn't be on the financial situation at home and whether or not it's sound," Navy Cmdr. Dave Julian, associate director of the department's Office of Family Policy, Children and Youth, said in an America Supports You Live Blog Talk Radio segment.
The effort to educate servicemembers and ease the burden of financial worry was the focus of DoD's Feb.24-March 4 "Military Saves Week" observance that was dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of individual financial readiness.
During the week, financial service managers around the globe put on financial fairs and contests to educate family members and help them come up with the best ways to prepare for the future and ease financial worry.
"The things that are affecting the greater society as a whole also affect our servicemembers," Julian said. "The cost of gasoline drives everything up, (and there are) issues with subprime mortgage rates, but then for military members, there is the added stress of: 'Will my family be financially fit while I am deployed?" he said.
This year's focus for the campaign, "Military Youth Saves," was to educate military family members under age 18 about the importance of starting early on a sound financial path. Events ranged from essay contests with savings bonds for prizes to competitions to see who could save the most with coupons at the commissary.
But promoting financial awareness isn't just a week-long effort in DoD, Julian said. Programs are in place year-round to help servicemembers manage their money.
"We encourage members on an installation to go to their financial-readiness specialist at the financial-readiness center to get an assessment and find out where they are financially and what their level of financial literacy is," Julian said. The push is to encourage servicemembers to establish financial goals ranging from building wealth to recovering from debt and making a plan.
Julian noted the Better Business Bureau has a program called "Military Line," a resource cautioning servicemembers to avoid "too-good-to-be-true" offers. "We had one case outside Charleston Air Force Base (in South Carolina) where the organization was set up outside as a military information center and, in fact, it was selling insurance," he said. "Once you get through the paperwork and the fluff, it might be some sort of insurance or lending deal," he cautioned.
The Better Business Bureau isn't the only outside organization participating in the Defense Department effort. "DoD has also partnered with about 23 financially related nonprofits that all offer some sort of financial resource for military families to take advantage of," Julian said.
The Defense Department's Military Homefront Web site, www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil, is a good resource that links to all these partners providing official information about DoD policies and procedures, he said. He also encouraged servicemembers to use Military OneSource's "Money Matters" feature, which has personal-finance calculators, DVDs, CDs and podcasts.
Financial readiness equates to mission readiness, and that couldn't be truer than it is today, Julian noted. He explained that creating this awareness and connecting people to the resources available is an important part of the mission.
By Lisa Daniel
American Forces Press Service
March 7, 2008 - Frank Woodruff Buckles lived an unassuming life for 105 years. That was until word got out that he was among the last of a generation that his countrymen only recently seemed to embrace. In 2006, Buckles' quiet life on his 330-acre cattle farm outside of Charles Town, W.Va., changed when renowned portrait artist David DeJonge contacted him about being part of a photography exhibit of nine of the known remaining U.S. veterans of World War I.
Pleased to represent those few remaining patriots, Buckles agreed. What followed was close work with DeJonge and more than a year of intense media attention. By the time the exhibit was unveiled at a Pentagon ceremony yesterday -- following meetings with President Bush at the White House and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates -- Buckles was accustomed to daily media interviews.
"It doesn't bother me," Buckles told a crowd of reporters and photographers gathered around him after the Pentagon ceremony. As he had told the audience in the packed auditorium minutes earlier, "I feel honored to be a representative of World War I. As the years went on, I found I was among the last of those who served."
Buckles was a 16-year-old farm boy from Missouri when he fulfilled a dream of becoming a soldier. It was the spring of 1917, and he began seeing the patriotic posters hanging in his local post office encouraging boys to fight "over there."
"I was interested in the Army when I was a boy," Buckles told the reporters in the interview 91 years later. "When I was 12 or 13, I slept on the floor" to prepare for a soldier's life, he said.
"I knew what was going on in the world," said Buckles, who still reads daily from his home library full of military and current events titles.
The young Buckles visited a Marine Corps recruiting office at the Kansas State Fair in Wichita in 1917. "I said that I was 18, but the understanding sergeant said that I was too young. I had to be 21," he wrote in a brief biography offered to reporters.
Determined to serve, Buckles returned to the Marine recruiter and was rejected a second time. He also was rejected by the Navy, he believes, because they were suspicious about his age. He then traveled to Oklahoma City, where he was again rejected by the Navy and Marines. Finally, an Army recruiter took his word that he was 18 -- Buckles told them his small town didn't keep records of birth certificates and none existed -- and he enlisted on Aug. 14, 1917.
Buckles followed a sergeant's advice that serving with an ambulance company was the quickest route to France, where the most fighting was. He was sent to Fort Riley, Kan., for training in trench casualty retrieval and ambulance operations. He deployed in December 1917 from Hoboken, N.J., across the Atlantic with 102 men who made up the 1st Fort Riley Casual Detachment. They were aboard the HMS Carpathia, the vessel famous for rescuing passengers and crew of the Titanic five years earlier.
Buckles spent several weeks as a driver at a hospital near Winchester, England. He was anxious to get to France, even requesting a meeting with his commanding officer, a colonel, to press the issue. "He explained to me that he, too, wanted to go to France, but had to stay where he was ordered," he said.
Finally, Buckles was assigned to escort an officer to France. There, he had various assignments at several locations. After Armistice Day, Nov. 11, 1918, he was assigned to a prisoner-of-war escort company to return prisoners back to Germany.
In January 1920, Buckles returned to the United States, without injury, on the USS Pocahontas. He was paid $144, including a $60 bonus. He went to business school and built a career in the commercial shipping industry.
In December 1941, Buckles was a corporate executive with American President Lines in Manila when the Japanese invaded the Philippines. He was held at a Japanese prison camp for three and a half years before being rescued by 11th Airborne Division on Feb. 23, 1945. During his internment, he was fed from a single tin cup, which he still has today and is displayed as a backdrop in DeJonge's portrait of him.
Following his release, Buckles married Audrey Mayo, and they settled in San Francisco until 1954, when the couple bought the West Virginia farm, near a Buckles ancestral home. Buckles still lives there today with his daughter and son-in-law. He was widowed in 1999.
In reflecting on his military service, Buckles, who left the Army as a corporal in 1920, said his favorite memories are of driving a motorcycle with a sidecar in England and meeting Gen. John J. Pershing, World War I commander of the American Expeditionary Force in Europe, upon his return to the United States. Buckles said he was pleased to discover that he and Pershing grew up on farms 40 miles apart in Missouri.
Buckles rejected a media request to offer advice to today's soldiers. "I'm not qualified to tell them anything. They know what to do," he said.
Buckles seemed dismayed at the press attention to his age. Longevity runs in his family and several relatives lived past 100, he said. "I don't feel I'm any older than you," he told the press corps of people mostly less than half his age.
DeJonge told reporters that Buckles' memory is "like a computer." Asked to describe Buckles, DeJonge said, "He has an incredibly optimistic outlook on life."
Editor's Note: One of the authors is a former servicemember.March 9, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. With the addition of four NYPD police officers, the website now lists 870 police officers and 1819 police books.
Rufus Schatzberg, Ph.D. is a retired New York Police Department detective first grade and the author of Black Organized Crime in Harlem: 1920-1930; and, co-author of African American Organized Crime and Handbook of Organized Crime in the United States.
According to the description of Handbook of Organized Crime in the United States, “This handbook discusses the definitions and historical background of organized crime, theories and research, specific crime groups and their operations, and law enforcement strategies to counter organized crime. Both the excellent introduction and 21 chapters provide background and analysis for each subject.”
Carey Spearman joined the U.S. Army in 1965. He served in Vietnam in 1967, assigned to the 44th Medical Group, 616th Medical Company. After his discharge, he would join the New York Police Department in 1973. He was promoted to detective, and to the rank of Sergeant in the police department and distinguished himself in undercover narcotics work and as supervisor of NYPD's Staten Island Community Affairs Division. Carey Spearman retired from the New York Police Department in 1995 with twenty-five years of service. In 1997 he obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from St. John's University, New York. Carey Spearman is the co-author of Vietnam Veteran's Homecoming: Crossing the Line and 36 Years and a Wake-up: An American Returns to Vietnam.
According to the book description of Vietnam Veterans' Homecoming: Crossing the Line “is a thoughful and moving account of the impact that the Vietnam War had on one veteran's life. Medic Carey Spearman's emotional message will resonate in the hearts and souls of each and every veteran that picks up this book, and enlighten anyone that did not live through the war.”
Jerry Strollo, CPP, is a security consultant and retired NYPD Captain. He owns/operates REMS Training, Inc a certified FSD and security guard training school. Jerry Strollo is the co-author of Management and Supervision of Law Enforcement Personnel.
William F. Walsh, Ph.D. is the director of the Southern Police Institute and professor in the Department of Justice Administration at the University of Louisville. William Walsh has a BA in Behavioral Sciences, MA in Criminal Justice and a PhD in Sociology. Dr. William Walsh is responsible for all educational and professional development course offerings of the Southern Police Institute.
Dr. William Walsh’s is a former member of the New York Police Department where he served for 21 years. He is the author of Supervision of Police Personnel: A Performance Based Approach; and, a co-author of Police Administration; Strategic Management in Policing: A Total Quality Management Approach; and, Organizational Behavior and Management in Law Enforcement.
According to the description of Organizational Behavior and Management in Law Enforcement, “This absolutely outstanding book overcomes the obstacles and impediments that beset so many others in the field of police management. Its clear, concise presentation and realistic and very thorough overview of contemporary law enforcement organizations and managerial issues make this a tightly written book that manages to cover all the relevant major topics in contemporary law enforcement management.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 870 police officers (representing 383 police departments) and their 1819 police books in 32 categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
Contact Information:
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA
editor@police-writers.com909.599.7530
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
March 7, 2008 - A new Defense Department policy prohibits all commercial photography or other image collection on U.S. military bases and installations. U.S. Northern Command issued the policy message Feb. 28 after detailed images of Fort Sam Houston, in San Antonio, appeared on the Google Map Web site, said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Gary Ross, a NORTHCOM spokesman.
Google Corp. representatives had entered the post with permission and taken the images with roof-mounted recording equipment, according to the policy message.
Google Earth's Street View Web site revealed 360-degree detailed imagery of the post, including headquarters locations, access and control points, barriers, facilities and communal areas, Ross said. "This poses a serious operational risk to our force-protection effort," Ross said.
Google reportedly has removed the images from the Web site, he said.
Concerned that such imagery could be used to inflict harm on U.S. personnel or facilities, NORTHCOM put out guidance for all military installations banning all commercial image-collecting as soon as it became aware of the Fort Sam Houston incident, Ross said. That guidance is being forwarded throughout the Defense Department by the services and defense agencies.
In addition to banning any future commercial image collection, the guidance also requires anyone aware of a similar incident to report it immediately to installation officials.
The Fort Sam Houston incident isn't isolated, Ross said. Similar filming incidents have occurred at two nonsecured former bases closed due to Base Realignment and Closure Commission efforts. One, Fort Benjamin Harrison, Ind., was closed as part of the 1991 round of BRAC closures, but still houses the Defense Finance and Accounting Service Indianapolis, as well as U.S. Army Reserve and Indiana National Guard units. Another, the former Treasure Island Naval Base, in San Francisco, was turned over to local government control in 1996, but is still owned by the Navy.
Equally disturbing, Ross said, is filming known to have occurred at military housing areas outside the secured areas of Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., and the U.S. Naval Training Center San Diego. Ross said he doesn't know whether that imagery ever was posted on the Internet.
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