Cambodian-American Navy Officer to Return to Birth Country after 37 Years

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brock A. Taylor, Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet Public Affairs

PACIFIC OCEAN (NNS) -- He has visited dozens of ports over the course of his Navy career, but none has ever evoked the emotions that will come when his ship USS Mustin (DDG 89), visits Cambodia in December.

The port visit will mark the first time in 37 years that Cmdr. Michael Vannak Khem Misihas returned to the land of his birth.

As a young Cambodian boy born and living in the rice fields outside of the capital Phnom Penh in the late 1960's/early 1970's, Misiewicz – whose birth name was Vannak Khem -- was not aware of the political tension building up around him. When his country plunged into turmoil, his family reluctantly gave him up for adoption to a young American woman who worked at the U.S. Embassy, allowing him to escape before the Khmer Rouge regime took over the country, eventually causing millions of deaths in what is known as the "Killing Fields."

"I know it's going to be very emotional," said Misiewicz. "I was the lucky one in the family."

Raised by his adoptive mother, Misiewicz enlisted in the Navy after graduating from high school in Lanark, Ill. He was selected for the Navy's Broadened Opportunity for Officer Selection and Training (BOOST) program, and attended the U.S. Naval Academy, where he received his commission in 1992.

His service as a Navy surface warfare officer ultimately brought him to command the guided missile destroyer USS Mustin, forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan.

As commanding officer of the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, Misiewicz and the more than 300 Sailors under his charge will conduct community service projects and interact with the Cambodian Navy.

USS Mustin's port call comes on the heels of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's visit earlier this month, and the first-ever Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise with Cambodia.

"It brings a lot of happiness to see my country – the United States – establishing a positive relationship with the country of my heritage," Misiewicz said. "America is truly the land of opportunity. It's the one country on earth where you start from the rice fields of a war-torn country and rise to command a U.S. Navy destroyer. It doesn't get any better."

For more than 16 years, after moving to the U.S. in 1973, Misiewicz did not know what happened to his family in Cambodia.

"As a child I would cry almost every night, thinking about my family and what had happened to them," Misiewicz said. "I had no idea at that point in my life whether they had survived the Killing Fields or not. Quite honestly, it was less painful as I got older to not think about it."

While Misiewicz was pursuing his naval career, he did not know that his surviving Cambodian family had immigrated to the U.S. and was looking for him.

Sponsored by an American family and church, his surviving siblings and birth mother moved to Austin, Texas, in 1984. With the help of a college student, they started researching Misiewicz's footsteps, and in 1989 they were reunited. But he also learned the devastating news that his father had been executed by the Khmer Rouge in 1977.

Misiewicz says the most emotional part of returning to Cambodia will be reuniting with his living blood relatives, especially an aunt who played a large part in his adoption, and an uncle who hoped for a better life for Misiewicz.

As a child, Misiewicz was very close to his aunt and often accompanied her at work as a maid for the American woman who later became his adoptive mother.

"My aunt got sick, so some arrangements were made between my adopted mom, my dad and my aunt to find a better life for one of us children, and my adopted mom found a liking toward me," Misiewicz said.

While his aunt carried out her cleaning duties, Misiewicz's future mother would let him watch movies and play games at her home. So in 1973, when she was scheduled to leave Phnom Penh, the only way she could bring the little boy she had grown fond of was to adopt him.

"I went [to the U.S] and I think the initial thought was for me to get a better education, live a better life and eventually return to Cambodia," Misiewicz said.

Misiewicz was very young when he immigrated to the U.S. After arriving in Alexandria, Va., in April 1973, his adoptive mother, Maryna Lee Misiewicz, who raised him as a single parent, enrolled him into the 1st grade the following fall. Misiewicz received extra English tutoring for the next three years and eventually continued his education in Lanark, Ill., which was his mother's hometown.

"Lanark was and still is a population of 1,500, and I think I was the only non-caucasian at my school," Misiewicz said.

Nearly four decades later, Misiewicz believes the Navy has given him an incredible amount of opportunities that he would have never experienced had he remained in Cambodia. Although his ship's upcoming visit has tremendous emotions attached for Misiewicz, he is also focused on his mission as Mustin's commanding officer and hopes his background will help accomplish it successfully.

"I really feel privileged and blessed to be able to return with this crew to where I was born and to do so with the ability to promote American goodwill and share with Cambodians the success stories, not only mine, but a lot of success stories within our crew," he said.

Misiewicz is not the only commanding officer of a forward deployed ship to visit his birth country in a U.S. Seventh Fleet ship.

Korean-American Cmdr. Jeffrey Kim, USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) commanding officer, took command of his ship in a ceremony held at Busan, Republic of Korea, in May 2009.

In November 2009, Vietnamese-American Cmdr. H.B. Le, USS Lassen (DDG 82) commanding officer, made a port call to Da Nang, Vietnam, as the first Vietnamese-born American citizen to command a U.S. warship and visit the country. He escaped with his family from Vietnam near the end of the war in 1975.

Misiewicz says he is proud of his background and even more proud that the growth of diversity in the Navy has given him and others a chance to excel in life.

"When you think about all the things that could've gone wrong, I think I'm truly blessed to have so many opportunities and certainly the different miracles that have occurred just for me to reunite with my family."

Guardian of the Week – Ed Kruska

Written by: LTJG Stephanie Young

With a career that spanned two decades of telling the Coast Guard’s story Chief Warrant Officer Ed Kruska shared his passion of the Coast Guard mission and its people with the nation. His commitment to the service goes beyond the call of duty as he inspires generations of service members and their families to honor their profession and their heritage.

Kruska served as editor of Coast Guard Reservist magazine and published 163 issues and nearly 5,000 pages through his tenure. In 1996 Kruska published a story about Coast Guard monuments across the United States urging Coast Guardsmen nationwide to pay their dues to those who served before them. Wanting to do more, and turning the magazine’s words into actions, he gathered with a group of friends at Arlington National Cemetery to honor veterans who were buried there.

The following year, Kruska joined with Master Chief Mark Allen, the current Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Reserve Forces, and their families as they met at Coast Guard Hill on Memorial Day. Together, as they stood in admiration of the service and sacrifice others had made, Kruska thought — why not place Coast Guard flags on the graves of fallen Coast Guardsmen at Arlington each Veterans Day?

Kruska worked with the Washington, D.C. Chapter of the Chief Petty Officers Association and after a year of planning Flags Across America came to life on the Saturday before Veterans Day 1999. This time, the group was much larger than the original eight, and the Chiefs and their families placed 75 Coast Guard flags on the graves of Coast Guardsmen buried at Arlington. The families also visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall where flags were placed besides each panel where the names of seven Coast Guardsmen who fought in Vietnam were etched into the wall.

The tribute to Coast Guard veterans grew, and today the event continues to build with Kruska as chairperson. The day now includes a rally outside the cemetery prior to posting the Coast Guard flags as well as a flag ceremony and Coast Guard history tour. With more people, the Flags Across America group is also able to find more graves of fallen service members from the Coast Guard and its predecessor services, including the U.S. Life-Saving Service and Revenue Cutter Service.

From its humble beginnings of eight people, the annual event now includes crowds of Coast Guardsmen and their families. This year the Flags Across America group was able to post 600 Coast Guard standards. Amongst the attendees this year was Admiral Bob Papp, Commandant of the United States Coast Guard.

 “It is an honor and privilege to commemorate the service of Coast Guard veterans that guarded our coasts in peace and defended our Nation in war,” said Papp, adding, “With Flags Across America, Ed Kruska has established in our service a powerful way for us to observe these manners of our profession with dignity and admiration.”

Kruska’s fervor for honoring those who went before him has been contagious. Since January 2001, more than 86 Flags Across America chapters have blossomed at Coast Guard units in a total of 36 states.

Recently retired, Kruska will continue his efforts in paying tribute to Coast Guardsmen and veterans of our country. Veterans like Kruska are a reminder to us all that when thinking about the brave men and women who have served, it is not enough to utter words of praise, but to live by those words.

Today in the Department of Defense, Monday, November 15, 2010

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn have no public or media events on their schedules.

Statement by Press Secretary Geoff Morrell on CRWG Report Leaks

“Secretary Gates is very concerned and extremely disappointed that unnamed sources within the Department of Defense have selectively revealed aspects of the draft findings of the Comprehensive Review Working Group, presumably to shape perceptions of the report prior to its release.

“The Secretary launched this review in March to objectively ascertain the impact of potential repeal of the ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell’ law on military readiness, effectiveness, recruiting, retention, unit cohesion and families. He made it clear then and throughout this process that it was ‘critical that this effort be carried out in a professional, thorough and dispassionate manner.’ He has also stated clearly that ‘given the political dimension of this issue, it is equally critical that...every effort be made to shield our men and women in uniform and their families from those aspects of this debate.’

 “For nearly nine months the Working Group has operated in strict accordance to that mandate.  Anonymous sources now risk undermining the integrity of this process.  

 “The Secretary strongly condemns the unauthorized release of information related to this report and has directed an investigation to establish who communicated with the Washington Post or any other news organization without authorization and in violation of Department policy and his specific instruction.

 “The full report will be made public for all to review early next month. Until then, no one at the Pentagon will comment on its contents.”

SECDEF Announces Flag Officer Nomination

From the Department of Defense

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announced Nov. 10 that the president made the following nomination:

Capt. James W. Crawford III, Judge Advocate General Corps, for appointment as legal counsel to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and appointment to the rank of rear admiral (lower half).

Crawford is currently serving as legal counsel to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington, D.C.

Adm. Papp, Secretary Napolitano honor Coast Guard veterans

Written by: LTJG Stephanie Young

In a Coast Guard Veterans Day Memorial Ceremony held today, Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, was joined by Admiral Bob Papp, Commandant of the Coast Guard, and Master Chief Michael P. Leavitt, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard in honoring veterans and their service at Arlington National Cemetery.

“Today is a time to recognize that we are stronger as a country not only because of what they have given, but also because of what they continue to give,” said Napolitano. “Nowhere is this more true than the Department of Homeland Security.”

The ceremony honored the sacrifices made by Coast Guard service members, veterans and their families during a wreath laying ceremony and brief remarks at the Coast Guard World War I Memorial, which includes the names of Coast Guardsmen who lost their lives during World War I.

“On this veterans day when we honor all of those who have worn the uniform of our country, we honor our profession by recognizing all of us who have served past and present,” said Papp. “We are privileged to be members of a very unique service and for this reason whenever I have been asked about what we are, or what we do, I always reply with pride ‘We are Coast Guardsmen. We are the men and women of the United States Coast Guard.’ So to all veterans I salute you and thank you from the bottom of my heart for your service past and present.”

Missouri Army National Guard, Japanese military unite to overtake enemy forces

U.S. Army Japan Courtesy Story

KAMI FURANO, Japan – “Move, move, move! Enemy fire at nine o’clock; engage and fire! Cover me while I move! I’ve been hit; I need a medic!”

These are just a few of the commands barked by leaders of the Missouri Army National Guard amidst helicopters touching down in the landing zone, small-arms fire, mortars and grenade explosions as 1st Battalion, 138th Infantry Regiment based out of Kansas City, Mo., teamed with the 26th Infantry Regiment, Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force. The training exercise in northern Japan in early November was part of Orient Shield 11.

“This type of training experience only comes once in a blue moon,” said Lt. Col. Kevin Fujimoto of St. Louis, Mo., commander of the 138th. “The Japanese Ground Self- Defense Force is one of the most professional, modern and disciplined military organizations I have ever seen. Just to train with such a professional army is an experience in itself.”

Fujimoto said Orient Shield is a great opportunity for a reserve component to work with one of the United States’ biggest allies.

“Together we can accomplish more than either one of us could apart,” Fujimoto said.

The focus of the exercise was developing tactical, bilateral operations and war fighting skills between the U.S. and Japanese militaries.

“Our main goal is to enhance the interoperability between the U.S. and Japan,” said Col. Takeshi Hirano of Hiroshima, the regimental commander for 26th. “During this training we are learning the differences and similarities between the U.S. and Japan.”

This training came less than two months after tensions flared between Japan and other eastern nations over islands in the region. The dispute is of interest to the U.S. because of a half-century old agreement between America and Japan. In 1960, the two countries signed the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, a binding agreement for both countries to support each other from enemy attack.

“Exercises like this encourage enduring professional mutual engagements and good will between the U.S. and Japan as we strengthen our relationship,” said Maj. Gen. Michael Harrison, commander, United States Army Japan. “All participating U.S. Army units benefit in maintaining a bi-lateral partnership. Operations like Orient Shield serve as an opportunity to integrate and train all branches of the U.S. military, while building rapport between the U.S. and our allies.”

Approximately 400 soldiers from National Guard units in New Hampshire, Illinois, Washington, Nevada, California and Missouri participated in a two-week training exercise called Orient Shield 11. Over half of these soldiers were from the Missouri Army National Guard, who worked closely with their Japanese counterparts. The rest served as logistical support for the operation.

“This is a very important exercise,” said 1st Lt. Taihei Hongo of Tacoma, Wash., a U.S. linguist from the Washington Army National Guard’s 341st Military Intelligence team. Hongo was born in the United States, but has family in the U.S. and Japan. He has spent most of his life split between each country.

“Japan is one of our closest allies and someone we wouldn’t want to lose,” he said. “This has been a great experience. They are learning a lot from us and we are learning from them.”

One week of training allowed the two countries an opportunity to collaborate and exchange military strategies, before the operation culminated in a field training exercise combining all of the shared techniques into a battle scenario. It quickly became clear that the two sides use similar military tactics.

“Interacting with our Japanese counterparts showed that their tactics and procedures are almost identical to ours,” said 1st Sgt. Shannon Wilde of St. Elizabeth, Mo., first sergeant for Headquarters Company, 138th Infantry Battalion. “There are slight differences between us. There are some things they haven’t thought of and others that we haven’t thought of. It’s good to exchange ideas.”

Soldiers speaking two different languages are one of the most obvious difficulties, but translators helped fuse the gap to overcome the language barrier.

“Our counterparts perform the same jobs as we do, which makes it easier to communicate,” said Sgt. Akiko Oota of Chitose, Japan, a member of Japan’s 11th Infantry Regiment and a translator for the exercise.

Just as schools in the United States teach Spanish, Oota said Japanese students learn English in junior high and high school. This made training easier for the two allied nations.

“It has not been real hard,” said Spc. Chie Yang of Cassville, Mo., with the 138th, who spent one week before the mission educating himself on the Japanese language. “Many of them speak decent English, and when we do not understand each other we use hand signals.”

With wars ongoing in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. soldiers have had a lot of exposure to different cultures. Most soldiers working with the Japanese note distinct differences.

“The Japanese understand our language and culture better than the Iraqis and Afghans,” said Sgt. Tyrel Naugle of Boonville, Mo., a member of the 138th who deployed to Iraq twice and spent one overseas tour in Afghanistan. “We are similar in many ways, including how we operate on the battlefield.”

Sgt. 1st Class Bradford Connolly of Dunbarton, N.H., a member of the New Hampshire Army National Guard’s medical detachment, admits his best experience during the two-week exercise was working with his Japanese counterparts.

“I was so naïve to our relationship with Japan,” Connolly said. “Before this, all I really knew was what my wife’s grandfather said about Japan when he served during World War II.”

Training in rain, sleet and snow didn’t seem hurt morale. Many soldiers said the training surpassed their expectations and they learned a lot that could not be taught through training stateside.

“It is great to train in a realistic environment, and working with the Japanese in their own land is a unique experience,” said Pfc. Jake Fendrick of Rolla, Mo., a member of the 138th. “It’s nice to see their attitude in combat is similar to ours.”

Wilde smiled when remembering a comment one of his soldiers made during the training.

“They’re just like us,” this soldier told the first sergeant, after spending time talking to a few of the Japanese soldiers.

Wilde said his time interacting with the Japanese made one thing obvious to him.

“We all have something special that brought us into the military. Just like us, there was something inside of them that made them who they are, and encouraged them to be a soldier.”

This was the thirteenth year of Orient Shield, and U.S. and Japanese soldiers continue to strengthen a growing relationship.

“I would go to war teamed up with the Japanese any day,” said Pvt. Jonathan Rouse of Kansas City, Mo., a member of the 138^th.

Veterans’ Reflections: Serving to Make a Difference

By Christen McCluney

Emerging Media, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12, 2010 – When Betty Ann Patterson joined the Army in 1952, she knew she wanted to do one thing: make a difference.

"Women were only a minuscule part of the military in those days," she said. "I wanted to break new ground, to go where few women had gone before and to be a leader in an unexplored area."

Serving 22 years in the military, Patterson did just that.

Originally from Tacoma, Wash., she was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Women's Army Corps shortly after her graduation from the State College of Washington, now Washington State University. After completing her basic military officers course at Fort Lee, Va., in February 1953, she accepted a regular Army commission as a second lieutenant, and in 1960 she transferred to the Air Force as a captain.

Patterson served during both the Korean and Vietnam wars and spent one year in Vietnam from August 1967 to 1968, a period she called the most memorable time of her service. She said one of the biggest lessons she learned during her time in the service was not to expect special privileges because she was a woman.

"In my day, women had to work harder than men to achieve success in the military service," she said. "We had to prove ourselves worthy of our responsibilities."

As an officer, she said, she learned to seize every opportunity to lead as a woman during that time. "Never tell your superiors you can't do something,” she added. "If they think you're qualified, you are."

Patterson retired from the Air Force as a lieutenant colonel in 1974, and returned to Tacoma after many years of living in La Jolla, Calif., and Arlington, Va.

After retiring, Patterson said, she sees Veterans Day as a day of rest for her and her husband, who is retired from the Navy. She added that in her younger days she would attend military parades and sometimes would march, but that now she spends her day reflecting.

"Veterans Day means celebrating the military strength of our country so that we can remain free," she said. "It recognizes the veterans who have contributed to our freedom, many by making the ultimate sacrifice."

(“Veterans’ Reflections” is a collection of stories of men and women who served their country in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and the present-day conflicts. They will be posted throughout November in honor of Veterans Day.)

Commentary: Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12, 2010 – Visiting Arlington National Cemetery on an ordinary day makes the day itself extraordinary. It is a place that imposes its own mood: reflective, sweetly melancholic, unabashedly patriotic.

Rank upon rank of small white crosses stand among gently rolling, green hills. Old Guard soldiers, solemn and remote, endlessly pace a slow and ceremonial vigil before the nation’s entombed and revered dead.

The Tomb of the Unknowns is here, as is the tombstone of heavyweight champion and Army veteran Joe Louis. Ira Hayes’ grave is there, and Lee Marvin’s. The last Buffalo Soldier and a young woman killed in the Virginia Tech shootings -- the daughter of veterans -- also rest here.

On Veterans Day, Arlington National Cemetery is the military’s sacred grove, its place of deepest mystery. On this day above all others, people seem drawn to its sanctity.

Thousands of visitors speaking every language under the sun pass through Arlington’s gates on Nov. 11. This year, as a former soldier and the wife and daughter of soldiers, I gathered my small courage to come here to honor the fallen.

Each Veterans Day, an American leader places a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns to honor America’s veterans and servicemembers who have died in combat. Today, hundreds of people gathered at the tomb, the heart of Arlington National Cemetery, in the hour before the ceremony.

Dotted through the diverse crowd were white-haired veterans in their service caps and men and women in uniforms –- and in wheelchairs. Patiently and quietly, adults, teenagers and small children watched and waited. The Old Guard soldiers paced.

Black wool overcoats rubbed shoulders with leather biker jackets, and red pumps stood next to running shoes. Apart from an occasional murmur from the scores of solemn spectators lining the steps, the only sounds were the whisper of falling leaves and the crisp crack of brass heel plates as the honor guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns paced off the measured movements of the Army’s 3rd U.S. Infantry’s vigil.

At 11 a.m., Vice President Joe Biden, accompanied by Maj. Gen. Karl R. Horst, commander of the U.S. Army Military District of Washington, walked into the space where normally only the guards may enter.

It is a silent ceremony. Honor guards from each service slow-march into position before the wreath is placed. They are resplendent in dress uniforms -- disciplined, solemn, young, all races, both sexes, all services, completely magnificent.

Except for the commands of their leaders and the announcement of the official party’s arrival, there is no speech. Speeches will follow, away from the tomb, but within that space so reverently, so ceremonially guarded, there is no room for talk.

Biden moved forward and set the ceremonial wreath in place. He stepped back and placed his hand over his heart as the piercing bugle notes of “Taps” floated through the chilly, sunlit air.

Throughout the year, Americans old and new come to Arlington, perhaps, because Arlington holds something of all Americans.

The graves belong to veterans and their families. But those veterans were part of, not apart from, their country. Like today’s veterans, like today’s servicemembers –- like so many in today’s American population -- they were humans called to sometimes superhuman effort.

Earlier this week, a sergeant-turned-entrepreneur told me he believes Americans simplify our veterans as either victims or heroes. Veterans are people, Zack Bazzi said, and they are as complex and multifaceted as any other people.

I believe Zack is right. He was speaking to me at a volunteer event with other veterans. They were building a house, and there was sweat, dirt, laughter and talk of beer.

It’s possible that Arlington’s secret is that it shows both sides of those who rest here.

These men and women simply were ordinary people who chose to serve in the armed forces of our country. Many of those resplendent young men and women at Arlington yesterday -- and the generals too, most likely -- went home last night and watched television, read a bedtime story or walked the dog.

Arlington National Cemetery is a military place. The U.S. military is an American institution. Part of us is in it -– a son or daughter, niece or nephew, father or mother -- and it is part of us. It is part of our history, part of our legacy as Americans, a symbol of our national grief and our national strength.

A military funeral here is imbued with a weight of dignity, of profound sorrow for a brother or sister in arms. Visiting the cemetery to say goodbye to a friend or loved one brings an added dimension to the profound and dreaded act of grieving a death.

It offers a glimpse, even to those who have never served, of the simple but mysterious bonds –- truly the bonds of a family -- rooted deep in the heart of those who wear or have worn the nation’s uniform.

Next year, I hope to be among the visitors at Arlington on Veterans Day once again. I’ll bring my daughters, and I hope they’ll share the awe that I felt here on Veterans Day 2010.

This Day in Naval History - Nov. 12

From the Navy News Service

1912 - Lt. Theodore Ellyson makes first successful launching of an airplane (A-3) by catapult at the Washington Navy Yard.

1940 - Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Harold R. Stark submits memorandum to Secretary of the Navy on four plans if U.S. enters war. He favors the fourth one, Plan Dog, calling for strong offensive in the Atlantic and defense in the Pacific.

1942 - First day of the three days of fighting in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.

1943 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt embarks on USS Iowa (BB 61) to go to the Allied conferences at Teheran, Iran, and Cairo, Egypt.

Coast Guard Heroes: Heriberto Hernandez

Written by: LTJG Stephanie Young

This is the last post in the Compass series that chronicled the first 14 heroes the Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters have been named for. These men and women, who stood the watch before us, lived extraordinary lives as they lit the way for sailors in times past, braved gunfire in times of war and rescued those in peril at sea. As Coast Guard heroes, their stories are a constant reminder of our service’s legacy. As the namesake of the Coast Guard’s newest patrol boats, they will inspire the next generation of Coast Guard heroes.

The Vietnam War saw Coast Guardsmen performing brave actions during wartime operations as they risked everything they had, day after day, to serve the United States of America. Nowhere is this sacrifice more evident than the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. There, on panel 37W – line 46, you will find the name of Heriberto Hernandez, a Fireman aboard Coast Guard Cutter Point Cypress who made the ultimate sacrifice as he braved enemy gunfire in South Vietnam.

In the spring of 1968, just three years after enlisting in the Coast Guard, Hernandez, a native of San Antonio, Texas, deployed for duty in Vietnam. Known by his shipmates as “Eddie,” he served on board the 82-foot Coast Guard Cutter Point Cypress, which along with 16 other patrol boats made up the Coast Guard component of Operation Market Time. As part of Operation Market Time, Hernandez, with 285 Coast Guardsmen, patrolled 1,500 miles of the Vietnamese coastline.

It was December 5, 1968, when Hernandez departed the Point Cypress to participate in routine small boat operations along the unsafe Ca Mau Peninsula, located on the southern-most tip of South Vietnam.

Hernandez was with two shipmates from the Point Cypress as they patrolled up the Rach Nang River. The small boat crew was looking for vessels to board, such as fishing boats anchored without working nets and other “junks” engaging in suspicious activity or in restricted areas.

As they motored along the canal, Hernandez and his two shipmates came across a shoreside bunker manned by the Viet Cong. The Coast Guardsmen were in an open boat, and had no protection. Despite this, they opened fire on the bunker and soon the small-boat crew was under heavy fire.

The Viet Cong continued to fire on Hernandez and his crew with automatic weapons, piercing the boat’s structure. Eventually, the small boat was able to evade the ambush, but not before Hernandez and the other two crewmembers were severely wounded.

Hernandez was taken back to the Point Cypress, but his wounds were too extensive and he died surrounded by his shipmates. For his bravery as he faced the enemy, Hernandez was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart Medal and the Bronze Star Medal with the Combat “V” device.

A special place in the Coast Guard’s history

The coastline of Vietnam proved a challenge for Naval Forces Vietnam due its unique inland and coastal waters. Soon after the start of the war, Coast Guard units were recognized as the ideal platform with the necessary expertise of small boat operations, and the Secretary of the Navy requested use of the Coast Guard’s 82-foot patrol boats. Together, with other Naval vessels, the patrol boats formed Coast Guard Squadron One and began their work in Vietnam July 30, 1965.

Alan Dillenbeck served with Hernandez aboard the Point Cypress from 1967 to 1968. Dillenbeck’s tour in Vietnam ended a few weeks before Hernandez was killed, however, he remembers Hernandez for the kind of man he always was:

“Eddie’s and my deployment overlapped by just a few months, however, working with him made a huge impact on my life,” said Dillenbeck. “He had a formidable presence. There was no one who I would have felt more comfortable with watching my back. Eddie was perhaps the toughest and most fearless person I’ve ever met.”

With contributions from LTJG Ryan White

Veterans’ Reflections: The Value of Military Service

By Ian Graham

Emerging Media, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Nov. 11, 2010 – David Fike got the urge to serve early, but his father insisted that he think about the decision thoroughly and perhaps consider an officer candidate program, rather than running to enlist in the Army Air Corps in 1944.

He joined the V-12 Navy College Training Program, an ROTC cousin designed to supplement the Navy and Marine Corps with commissioned officers during World War II.

Fike served in that program as an apprentice seaman from 1944 to 1946 – he never attended basic training because the war had ended – then returned home to attend pre-med courses at Dartmouth University.

“After I graduated with [a bachelor of arts] degree as a civilian, I worked as a chemist at the University of Wisconsin,” he said.

He was there when the Korean War started in 1950. Fike was in reserve deferred status until his senior year of law school; it was then that he received his draft notice.

“I went up to the Navy who had given me the benefit of three years in college, gratis, and I attempted to return to the Navy,” he said. “Of course, there are rules and restrictions with those who have received their draft notice. As they’re telling me this, sitting there is a Marine Corps recruiter, who beckoned me over.”

Three weeks later, Fike was in charge of a group of Marine recruits on a train from Chicago to San Diego. He attended basic training there and was sent to Quantico, Va., for further training. There, he was selected to attend the Basic School and become a second lieutenant. He also attended fire school and artillery training.

“I finally arrived in Korea when it was petering down to an artilleryman’s war, and I was assigned to the 4th Battalion of the 11th Marines,” he said.

When he left Korea, he took command of a firing battery – he had opted for a year’s extension after the war ended. After conducting a variety of operations with his firing battery, Fike left the Corps as a first lieutenant. The day he left the service, he got a letter informing him that he had made the list for promotion to captain, but he never was officially promoted.

Like many of his fellow former servicemembers, Fike reflected humbly about his time in uniform. He said he shouldn’t take too much credit for any medals or commendations he earned, as he wasn’t doing anything except what was asked of him.

“I’m quite sure on introspection … [that] I wasn’t doing anything other than required,” he said.

Fike said today’s Marine Corps still teaches the same values he learned when he was in uniform, even if the skills they learn are very different. His two sons each served four-year enlistments in the Corps, he noted, so he knows to some degree how much it’s changed, and how much has remained the same.

He said he never expected to see Marines doing entirely land-based operations, nor did he expect to see the way war has evolved, from the clear uniformed-military-versus-uniformed-military wars of the past to the more ambiguous operations going on now.

“The Marine Corps is a good place for young men to go if they want to grow up fast, and hopefully won’t get killed in the process,” he said. “It’s a tough row to hoe, and I do not envy anyone in terms of the type of war they’re fighting.”

(“Veterans’ Reflections” is a collection of stories of men and women who served their country in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and the present-day conflicts. They will be posted throughout November in honor of Veterans Day.)

Face of Defense: Vietnam Vet Inspires Daughter’s Service

By Army Sgt. Darron Salzer

National Guard Bureau

ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 12, 2010 – During her recent promotion ceremony, a National Guard member said her Vietnam veteran father was the inspiration for her service.

“I come from a family of military men, so I chose to follow in my father’s footsteps,” said Army Maj. Trenia Coleman, who is from Louisiana.

Coleman’s father, Jessie Hill, received a Purple Heart during the ceremony at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial here.

With friends and family in attendance, Coleman, who is the appeals and analysis section chief for the National Guard Bureau’s human resources office, was promoted to her present rank. She said that it meant the world to her to have her father attend the ceremony.

“I am very proud of my father,” she said.

Hill’s family said he served from 1964 to 1966 with the 25th Infantry Division’s 502nd Aviation Battalion and was wounded in Vietnam on Feb. 27, 1966.

Hill, a private first class, served as a door gunner. After being wounded, he was sent back home to Hawaii, where he awaited a medical discharge from the Army. After his discharge, the Purple Heart was mailed to Hill, but it never was properly presented, and it did not show up on his discharge papers.

“We worked on getting the award added to his [discharge papers] and presented to him, and we thought that combining the two occasions would be really special,” Coleman said.

Hill said he was drafted into the Army in 1964.

“When my daughter decided that she was going to enlist, I was a little nervous, because I didn’t want her to go through the same things that I did,” he said. “After a while though, I felt all right about it.”

As he watched his daughter become a major, the emotion was evident on Hill’s face.

“I am very proud of my daughter today, and I’m glad that she has made it as far as she has,” he said. “I never dreamed that she would have come this far.”

Missing WWII Airman Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Air Forces Capt. George W. Grismore, 30, of Salt Lake City, will be buried at sea Nov. 17 off the coast of Newport Beach, Calif.  A memorial service in Salt Lake City will precede the burial on Nov. 13.  On March 12, 1945, Grismore and five crew members aboard a C-47A Skytrain departed Tanauan Airfield on Leyte, Philippines, on a resupply mission to guerilla troops.  Once cleared for takeoff, there was no further communication between the aircrew and airfield operators.  When the aircraft failed to return, a thorough search of an area ten miles on either side of the intended route was initiated.  No evidence of the aircraft was found and the six men were presumed killed in action.  Their remains were determined to be non-recoverable in 1949.

In 1989, a Philippine National Police officer contacted U.S. officials regarding a possible World War II-era aircraft crash near Leyte.  Human remains, aircraft parts and artifacts were turned over to the local police, then to U.S. officials at the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command.

From 1989 to 2009, JPAC sought permission to send teams to the crash site but unrest in the Burauen region precluded on-scene investigations or recovery operations.  Meanwhile, JPAC scientists continued the forensic process, analyzing the remains and physical evidence already in hand.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA—which matched that of Grismore’s nephew—in the identification of his remains.

At the end of the war, the U.S. government was unable to recover and identify approximately 79,000 Americans.  Today, more than 72,000 are unaccounted-for from the conflict.

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, call 703-699-1420 or visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo.

Today in the Department of Defense, Friday, November 12, 2010

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn have no public or media events on their schedules.

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen addresses the Hoover Institution Conference on Deterrence at 12:30 PST in the Stauffer Auditorium and Annenberg Conference Room, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, 434 Galvez Mall, Stanford, Calif.  Media interested in attending should contact Pagie Mathes at 650.724.7226 Desk, spmathes@stanford.edu or JCS Public Affairs, 703-697-4272.

Face of Defense: Band Strikes Music Industry Chord

By Air Force Master Sgt. Thomas Kielbasa

Florida National Guard

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Nov. 10, 2010 – When the band American Attitude formed four years ago, the members just wanted to fill some empty seats at their noncommissioned officers club on drill weekends.

The Guardsmen from the Florida Air National Guard’s 125th Fighter Wing thought their hard-rock cover band would provide some much-needed entertainment at the Jacksonville F-15 base, and with the base commander’s permission, they started playing at unit parties and events.

Now, after a few years of also playing local bars and charity events in northeastern Florida, American Attitude officially has broken into the music industry. The band landed a recording deal, is writing original material and is playing in Las Vegas.

American Attitude members Master Sgt. Shawn Watchorn on guitar, Master Sgt. Marc Myers on drums and Tech. Sgt. Chris Henderson on vocals are full-time Guardsman at the 125th. Navy Reserve Petty Officer 1st Class Matt Smithers on bass completes the hard-rocking quartet during its shows.

Smithers, who joined the band after the original bass player left, described the group’s style and stage presence as a spontaneous blend of “feel-good, high-energy music” that is difficult to categorize.

“It’s a combination of metal, rock, funk and punk,” he explained. “It’s really just a fusion thing. … We say it’s a hard rock base, but we incorporate so many different flavors of music. If it rocks, we’ll play it.”

The band started gaining attention this year after Watchorn posted some of its original music online at GIJams.com. The site – dedicated to promoting military musicians – was the brainchild of legendary songwriter Denny Randell, and featured American Attitude as well as other bands from across the country. Watchorn said he didn’t think anything would really come of it, but about a month later, he got a phone call from Randell himself.

“He called us up and said he loved our music and the fact we were all military members,” Watchorn said. “He liked that we were creating our own music and juggling our music with our jobs and families.”

When Randell asked if American Attitude was interested in signing with his new record label called “GI Jams” and being featured on a forthcoming compilation album of military artists, the band jumped at the opportunity. As part of the deal, American Attitude signed to play a Veterans Day concert in Las Vegas, and is looking at a possible tour for the label next year.

“We never imagined it would get to this level,” Watchorn admitted.

While they still practice regularly in Myers’ cramped and crowded garage, the band members have moved beyond just performing cover songs and are making their mark with original American Attitude songs.

The members spend weeks writing original material, with Watchorn sketching out the rough structure of the songs and vocalist Henderson putting the lyrics together. A few jam sessions later, they have a song ready to try out on their audience.

“I don’t know if other bands do it that way, but it just works really well for us,” Smithers said.

While their material runs the gamut from mellow to upbeat party songs, one piece – “Redemption” – tackles the serious issue of post-traumatic stress disorder.

“When I wrote the lyrics for 'Redemption,' I thought that PTSD was something that really needs to be brought to the forefront more,” Henderson said. “I had been reading some articles and listening to interviews about how it has been kind of ignored or almost shunned. You can get a broken arm mended, but if you have some sort of psychological trauma, [some people think] you have to just suck it up and not even bring it up. We need to change the way people look at it.”

Now that they have a record deal, the band members are focusing more on original material than ever before, and Watchorn said they see any performances as an opportunity to promote the National Guard and military service.

“Every time we’re out, we still put an American flag on the stage and tell everyone about the Guard and the military,” he said. “We always give a shout-out to the members of the armed forces, past and present. We’re a sailor and airmen all the time, so we project that out in public, too.”

USS Olympia Visits Yokosuka

By Lt. Lara Bollinger, Commander Submarine Group 7 Public Affairs

YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) -- The Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine, USS Olympia (SSN 717) arrived at Fleet Activities Yokosuka Nov. 5, for a visit as part of its deployment to the Western Pacific.

With a crew of approximately 155, Olympia will conduct a multitude of missions and showcase the latest capabilities of the submarine fleet.

"USS Olympia is a mulit-mission capable warship with an outstanding crew enthusiastically conducting deployed operations," said Cmdr. Michael R. Coughlin, USS Olympia commanding officer.

Olympia is capable of sustained high-speed operations in direct support to the carrier task forces of the United States Navy as well as independent operations of critical importance to national security.

"The crew has worked very hard on this deployment, contributing to our many operational and material successes," said Master Chief Machinist's Mate James A. Weber, USS Olympia chief of the boat. "Yokosuka is our first port visit in more than a month, and the crew has earned the opportunity to enjoy liberty in Japan."

For many of the crew members, this is their first time visiting Japan.

"My father served here with the Navy in the early 70's, so I am looking forward to seeing all of the same great places and sights that he has told me so much about," said Logistics Specialist 3rd Class David Lee.

Measuring more than 360 feet long and weighing more than 6,900 tons when submerged, Olympia is one of the quietest submarines in the world. This submarine is capable of supporting a multitude of missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, strike, intelligence, and surveillance and reconnaissance.

Olympia is home-ported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Miami Dolphin Cheerleaders, Players Visit PCU Jason Dunham Crew

By Mass Communications Specialist 1st Class Martin Cuaron, Navy Public Affairs Support Element East

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (NNS) -- Miami Dolphins cheerleading squad members and football players visited Sailors aboard the Navy's newest Arleigh Burke class destroyer Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Jason Dunham (DDG 109) in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Nov. 9th.

"The girls enjoy so much to come out here to entertain our service members," said Emily Newton, cheerleading squad director and choreographer. "The young men and women in the military put in time and hard work, and for us to come out here and put on a show is the least we can do for them."

The eight cheerleaders started the event by performing several routines on the flight deck for the crew.

"This is definitely a positive thing and a big morale booster," said Cryptologic Technician (Collection)(SS) Joshua Thompson. "We have been working hard in preparation for the ships commissioning, and to see these beautiful woman out here, showing their support is something I'll never forget."

Crew members lined the flight decks for autographed photos and photo opportunities with their favorite cheerleader.

"It's really incredible what service members do," said Lilly, Miami Dolphins cheerleader. "Most people don't get the opportunity to go on a Navy vessel, and we appreciate everything they do. It takes so much teamwork, and we understand because we are a team as well."

The cheerleaders were given a tour of the ship, taking them from the Combat Information Center to the bridge.

"I love everything about this ship from the flight deck to the bridge," said Lilly. "It's truly amazing to see how these ships work."

During the ship's port visit, the crew will contribute 300 hours of community service by taking part in numerous community outreach programs such as Habitat for Humanity and assisting three local schools.

"The crew of the Jason Dunham are working hard in preparing for the commissioning of this fine ship," said Cmdr. Scott Sciretta, PCU Jason Dunham commanding officer. "To have the Dolphin cheerleaders and players come out and meet the Sailors, is pretty amazing."

Cpl. Jason Dunham was the first Marine to be awarded with the Medal of Honor during Operation Iraqi Freedom and the first Marine to receive the medal since the Vietnam War. The ship will be officially commissioned Nov. 13 during a ceremony at Port Everglades, Fla.

The Art of War

By Jennifer Gavin

This is a guest post by Sarah Rouse, a volunteer in the Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division.

“War experience just hypnotizes young men.” So said Victor Lundy, a World War II veteran who recorded many of his war memories through his sketchbooks, now donated to the Library of Congress.

I interviewed Lundy for the Library’s Veterans History Project, and his drawings — and memories — are worth a visit on Veterans’ Day 2010.

“I never listened, I was busy sketching,” said Lundy.  And could he sketch! The gentle portrait of Finey Towery in France really caught my attention.  Staff Sgt. Towery hailed from Kentucky, and Lundy still recalls the song Towery often sang: “In the Pines.”

Lundy was in college, studying architecture, when he enlisted in a special Army engineering unit during World War II.  He ended up instead at a boot camp in South Carolina, in 1944.

He’d use a pocket-sized pad to portray the daily routines in the PX, scenes of men dozing, and training sessions.  He sketched while his ship crossed the Atlantic — the drawing “Goodbye Broadway, Hello France” captures the excitement.  He sketched his unit landing at Cherbourg on Sept. 7 — the first big convoy in Normandy since D-Day on June 6.  “I realized we were part of a very significant occasion,” he said.  Lundy recorded French farmhouses and villages, battle scenes, Allied planes, and casualties he witnessed while serving as a squad leader.

After the war, Lundy became a noted architect.  His sketchbooks and the oral history he offered show a serious young man’s coming of age, from college kid to seasoned soldier in a world war.

Coast Guard Heroes: Richard Dixon

Written by: LTJG Stephanie Young

With contributions from LTJG Ryan White

This Compass series chronicles the first 14 heroes the Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters have been named for. These men and women, who stood the watch before us, lived extraordinary lives as they lit the way for sailors in times past, braved gunfire in times of war and rescued those in peril at sea. As Coast Guard heroes, their stories are a constant reminder of our service’s legacy. As the namesake of the Coast Guard’s newest patrol boats, they will inspire the next generation of Coast Guard heroes.

A series of unfortunate storms swept across the Pacific Northwest on Fourth of July weekend 1980 and could have ended in disaster, but instead showed the limitless potential of human intrepidness.

First Class Boatswain’s Mate Richard Dixon had just started his watch at Station Tillamook Bay when a report came in of the Fantasy Isle, a 58-foot trawler-yacht, seeking shelter from the dangerous storm conditions in the region.

The Fantasy Isle, with five people aboard, would have to pass between two stone jetties about 400 yards apart to enter the bay and find relief from the storms. This was no easy task, as the storms produced breaking seas that covered the entire bar for miles.

Dixon served as coxswain for one of the motor lifeboats sent out to escort the Fantasy Isle across the bar and ordered his three crewmen to strap in as he throttled forward into the heavy seas. When the crews arrived at the bar, they realized it would not be safe for the yacht to pass but, after continual beatings by the howling winds outside the bay, the captain of the Fantasy Isle saw no other choice but to make the crossing.

Conditions along the Tillamook bar were worsening with 30-foot seas and 70-knot winds as Dixon placed his 44-foot motor lifeboat on the left side, behind the yacht, while the coxswain of the other motor lifeboat situated himself on the right. Together, they would position themselves to provide a “window” for the yacht to get through the bar by their two motor lifeboats absorbing the energy of the waves.

This was an extremely dangerous maneuver for both lifeboats, as the full force of each breaking wave would smash itself into the crews. Together, Dixon and the coxswain of the other vessel repeatedly used their lifeboats to shield the yacht, taking breaker after breaker for forty minutes, until the yacht had safely passed through the bar and found shelter in the bay.

The Fantasy Isle rescue was noteworthy on its own but Dixon was not done performing heroic acts that weekend. Just a day later, on July 4, a report of two people in the water came in.

A recreational boat was speeding around the North Jetty of the bay when they turned directly into 18-foot breaking seas. There were four people aboard the boat, and two went crashing through the boat’s windshield as the vessel started to capsize.

Dixon and his crew were out patrolling the bay, and changed course to recover the four boaters. Dixon, again as coxswain, had to rely on his boat driving skills to maneuver within 50 feet of the jetty rocks in order to pull the persons in the water aboard.

As the seas broke over them and the blue waves turned to white foam, Dixon and his crew rescued all four persons from the jetty’s rocks and violent waters.

A special place in the Coast Guard’s history

Al Shepherd was a shipmate of Dixon’s while they were both stationed as First Class Petty Officers aboard CGC Cape Wash. They became close friends immediately, and Shepherd recalls how Dixon’s commitment to serve others was always present.

“Rick exhibited natural leadership characteristics coupled with superior ability and genuine warmth,” said Shepherd. “Rick was a man of great outward courage and inner strength who lived idealistically in such a natural way that people were drawn to him. They wanted to be like him and to share in what he was doing.”

Throughout the Coast Guard’s history, coxswains and their crews have performed heroic acts centered on Dixon’s same commitment. Dixon’s bravery, which was second nature, earned him two Coast Guard Medals. Coast Guard award rules dictate that only those who, “performed a rescue or attempted rescue at the risk of his or her own life, and demonstrates extreme and heroic daring” should receive this honor – something Dixon did twice in one weekend.

“The Coast Guard and Rick Dixon share a common history which is rich in service to mankind, free from self interest or self preservation,” said Shepherd. “It is very fitting, and makes me swell with pride that Rick’s heroic deeds and valiant spirit will live on in time.”

Today in the Department of Defense, Thursday, November 11, 2010

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates will attend a Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery at 10:30 a.m. EST.

Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn has no public or media events on his schedule.