Baltimore Hospital Provides Pre-deployment Trauma Training

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

BALTIMORE – Air Force Master Sgt. Charles Halcome stood at a hospital bed, laying out vials and pointing out medical instruments to be used to treat an incoming patient.

A 63-year-old woman had been walking her dog when, in a freak accident, she got run into a tree and was basically scalped in the process. Her injuries were so severe that she was immediately transported to the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center here.

The first and highest-volume trauma center in the United States, it’s a training ground for Air Force medical professionals deploying to Afghanistan.

It’s one of three civilian hospitals nationwide participating in the Centers for Sustainment of Trauma and Readiness Skills program, known as C-STARS, which helps to prepare airmen to treat the kind of casualties they’re likely to encounter in the combat theater.

Air Force Tech Sgt. Josh Vest and Staff Sgt. Catalina Meissner, both aerospace medical technicians scheduled for upcoming deployments, listened as Halcome, a C-STARS instructor, talked them through the procedures to be followed when the patient arrived.

Vest and Meissner were midway through the three-week C-STARS program, getting exposure to trauma cases like nothing they had seen at their home stations. Meissner has spent most of her six years in the Air Force providing pediatric and women’s health care, most recently at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. After 15 years in the Air Force, Vest rose through the ranks from providing hands-on patient care to a supervisory job at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Both welcomed the opportunity to get trauma-care experience at C-STARS before deploying.

The Baltimore C-STARS program, which is affiliated with the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Medical Center, offers plenty of opportunity -- more than any other trauma hospital in the country. It admits more than 7,000 trauma patients and performs more than 8,000 surgeries per year.

Most patients arrive with severe and often life-threatening injuries that range from gunshot and stabbing wounds to injuries from motor-vehicle accidents. Although none suffer the kind of traumatic blast injuries medical care teams treat regularly in Afghanistan, Air Force Lt. Col. (Dr.) Raymond Fang, the C-STARS director, said the training here comes as close as possible in a peacetime environment to what one would get in the combat theater.

Most of the students, like Meissner and Vest, come from military community hospitals or large clinics where they rarely experience the operational tempo or see the severity of wounds they’ll face in the combat theater, Fang said. So the staff goes out of its way to make the experience here as realistic and applicable as possible.

Halcome, dressed in the characteristic pink hospital scrubs that identify shock trauma center staff, compared the incoming dog-walker’s injuries to those of a vehicle gunner whose head slammed against a gun turret.

“When I can, I like to relate my patients to combat injuries,” he said. “It makes what we do here more beneficial to them. When these [C-STARS students] deploy, they may not see a 63-year-old woman who’s been struck in the head. But they may see a 40-year-old master sergeant or tank commander who has had his head banged against a turret.”

One of the most important lessons reinforced during C-STARS students’ 90 to 100 hours of clinical work is the importance of the “golden hour” concept, said Air Force Maj. David Whitehorn, a critical care trauma nurse on the C-STARS staff.

Dr. R. Adams Cowley, for whom the Baltimore shock-trauma center is named, recognized while serving in Europe during World War II that trauma patients who got care quickly had the best chance of survival. The first 60 minutes -- the so-called “golden hour” --- were the most critical.

So Cowley applied that principle when he established the nation’s first trauma lab here in the basement of the University of Maryland Hospital, and it has become a universally recognized standard.

The military medical system goes to great lengths to enforce it, striving to get wounded warriors even in the most remote parts of Afghanistan to advanced-level care within 60 minutes.

As instructors here draw comparisons between the civilian and military ways of providing care, Fang said, they also pass on some of the differences.

The military, for example, has a strict “by the book” approach to trauma care. It’s critical, Fang said, to maintaining consistency of care as patients are moved from Afghanistan to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany and, ultimately, to stateside military medical centers.

“I can have all my idiosyncrasies about how I like to take care of a patient, and that is fine if the patient is going to stay with me for their whole care,” he explained. “But if I am going to be sending a patient through four or five levels of care with four or five teams [caring for them], then we need to make sure that things are done not my way, but our ‘corporate’ way.”

That corporate way of doing business is reinforced throughout the C-STARS training, in classroom sessions and on the hospital floor during clinical training. It’s also tested in a mock combat environment during a field training exercise at Fort Detrick, Md., where students tend to simulated combat casualties while responding to “enemy fire” -- actually paintballs inflicted by their instructors.

The goal, Fang said, is to take students out of their comfort zones and expose them to austere and the often-chaotic conditions in which they may have to operate.

“We try to make the scenarios as realistic as possible,” based on real cases in Afghanistan, Fang said. “We put people through these experiences so they know what they might expect.”

Whitehorn said he has seen the initial shock register on students’ faces when they go to treat their first trauma patient. “I’ve had nurses pause there and back away, and I just push them right back in there,” he said. “But that’s what C-STARS is all about. This is where we would rather have them shell-shocked, not after they arrive in the theater.”

“At first, it’s a little intimidating,” Vest admitted. “But you just take a deep breath and make sure you’re providing the case care for your patient.”

“It’s overwhelming. It tugs at your heart,” agreed Meissner.

Air Force Master Sgt. Bruce Graybill, an operating technician who oversees all C-STARS programs for enlisted members, said he sees students develop an air of confidence when they realize during C-STARS that they’re up to the task.

“We’re not only refreshing our skills, we’re also getting the confidence to apply those skills,” Vest said. “And being able to do that gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling. You know that you did everything in your realm to help that patient, regardless of the outcome.”

Fang said there’s no way civilian trauma-care experience can totally prepare airmen for the devastation they will see in war.

But he said the exposure they get at C-STARS will help them become more effective more quickly when they arrive in Afghanistan.

Experience shows that providers who deploy without trauma-care training take about 30 days to adjust to the professional and emotional rigors of the job. But Fang said subjecting them to a month of adjustment isn’t fair to the providers -- and certainly not to their patients.

“We want to make people as prepared as they can be on Day One,” he said. “We may not get them all the way to their Day 30 level, but the closer we can get to that level, that is why we are here.”

Meissner she said she knows the training she is receiving here will pay off when she arrives in Afghanistan. “You want to make sure you will be able to help that soldier and save that life,” she said. “And when I look around at what is happening here, this is saving lives.”

Air Force Capt. (Dr.) Morgan Gettle, a flight surgeon from Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., attending C-STARS, said he gets personal satisfaction in providing patient care. “There’s a lot of gratification in the work here,” he said. “You get to see the effects of what you have done in terms of saving someone’s life.”

Navy Surgeon General Highlights Warfighter Support Role During Military Health System Conference

From Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery Public Affairs

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (NNS) -- The top medical officer for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps highlighted the key role his medical forces play in support of the operating forces to a capacity crowd at the 2012 Military Health System Conference held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center Feb. 1.

Navy Surgeon General, Vice Adm. Matthew Nathan, told an audience of more than 1,000 U.S. military and federal health care professionals that the main mission of Navy Medicine is to keep the nation's naval forces medically ready to operate around the world in support of U.S. national objectives.

"Our job in Navy Medicine is to support the forward deployed force and provide readiness," said Nathan. "When the world dials 911, it's not to make an appointment."

Nathan highlighted the Navy's global mission of being forward deployed to provide a power projection and deterrence role while also being ready to respond to humanitarian assistance and disaster response requirements.

"We are a global force for good," said Nathan. "We build our Navy for war. But we operate our Navy for peace."

The annual conference allows all the stakeholders in the U.S. military health system, including the representatives from all branches of service, TRICARE Management Activity, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to come together and share lessons learned and best practices throughout the military medicine field.

During his presentation, Nathan discussed the Navy medical role in battlefield trauma care and the successes the joint medical forces have achieved in caring for those wounded during the past decade of combat operations.

"Our main mission is support to the warfighter and we're in the fight," said Nathan. "More than 50 percent of Navy [personnel] wounded over the past decade of war have been Navy Medicine. Our losses are 28 percent."

According to Nathan, the continuum of care for combat wounded is unprecedented with a survivability rate of approximately 97 percent.  He told the crowd that now the average time from when a patient receives near-mortal wounds on the battlefield until they end up at an intensive care unit at Walter Reed Bethesda, Brooke Army Medical Center, or Naval Medical Center San Diego is three to five days. He noted this is due to the cooperation of the Navy, Air Force and Army medical teams along the way.

Nathan reminded the crowd that wounded warrior care is a long-term mission that will require continued collaboration among the services and other federal healthcare agencies.

"This is going to be a military, Veteran's Affairs and private sector call to duty of America to deal with the numbers of service men and women who are dealing with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress," said Nathan.

Nathan concluded his remarks by highlighting the unprecedented achievements the joint medical team has accomplished together and affirmed his commitment to working with his service counterparts to look for greater efficiencies and better ways to conduct the business of healthcare for the U.S. military, families and veterans.

"I've seen the synergy of what happens when the Army, Navy, and Air Force come together during medical operations," said Nathan. "We celebrate our victories together and mourn our losses together. We are family."

As the Navy Surgeon General and Chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Nathan leads 63,000 Navy Medicine personnel that provide healthcare support to the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, their families and veterans in high operational tempo environments, at expeditionary medical facilities, medical treatment facilities, hospitals, clinics, hospital ships and research units around the world.

NDNG celebrates its origins and 150 years of service

North Dakota courtesy report

BISMARCK, N.D. (2/1/12)  - The North Dakota National Guard, along with the South Dakota National Guard recently marked 150 years of service to their communities, state and nation as they celebrated the Jan. 27, 1862, birthdate of the organization’s formation.

The day marks fifteen decades of honorable and distinguished service for members that have served in the very beginning of the militia to present-day Soldiers and Airmen of the NDNG.

“The North Dakota National Guard has an impressive record of service to this state and nation, from the early days of the organization’s formation to the outstanding contributions our Guardsmen are making today here at home and in foreign lands,” said Gov. Jack Dalrymple.

“Throughout our history, North Dakota has been able to count on the men and women who have worn the uniform of the National Guard and our state has been forever shaped by their extraordinary service and sacrifice,” he said.

The NDNG shares its heritage with the SDNG, which is traced to the Dakota Territorial Militia in the early 1860s. The militia system was a descendant of the English colonial militia system carried over from the English colonies.

On Jan. 27, 1862, the first unit of the Dakota Territorial Militia organized under Capt. Nelson Miner in the territorial capital of Yankton. On that date, the seeds were planted for what would eventually become the North and South Dakota National Guard.

During the period following statehood in Nov. 1889, up until the Spanish-American War, the NDNG recorded no significant activities except of training and maintaining organizations. Since that time, NDNG units have served in nearly every major war or conflict, as well as providing assistance to the state in times of domestic emergencies such as floods, fires, tornadoes and winter storms.

“Like our early militia members, the soldiers and airmen of the North Dakota National Guard have met every challenge presented to them in an exemplary manner at home and abroad,” said Army Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk, North Dakota adjutant general. “We are proud of our rich shared heritage with our sister state, South Dakota, as we look forward to a bright future of service to our state and nation.”

Throughout the history the NDNG, members have served with distinction in federal active service in support of wars and conflicts such as: the Spanish-American War, the Philippine Insurrection, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Operation Just Cause, the Persian Gulf War, operations in Kosovo, Operation Provide Comfort, Operation Northern Watch, Operation Southern Watch, Operation Noble Eagle, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn.

Members of the N.D. National Guard are the recipients of 11 Medals of Honor. Ten were awarded for heroic action during the Philippians Insurrection in 1898-1899. In 2008, Master Sgt. Woodrow “Woody” Wilson Keeble was awarded the nation’s highest honor posthumously for actions during the Korean War. Keeble is also a recipient of the “N.D. Rough Rider Award."

At home in North Dakota, the Guard has responded to wildfires and tornadoes, assisted stranded motorists during blizzards and ice storms and has aided law enforcement authorities with search and rescue missions. The Guard has also served on flood fighting duty for the last three years to include 142 days on flood fighting duty in 2011.

Present-day NDNG has mobilized more than 3,800 soldiers and more than 1,800 airmen in the last decade in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Currently, about 275 North Dakota Guardsmen are serving overseas while more than 4,000 remain in the state for emergency response and national defense.

Transition Benefits: NAS Kingsville Sailors Take Advantage of Available Help

By Fifi Kieschnick, Naval Air Station Kingsville Public Affairs

NAVAL AIR STATION KINGSVILLE, Texas (NNS) -- Four Naval Air Station (NAS) Kingsville Sailors not selected for retention by the Enlisted Retention Board (ERB) are now looking at their options, and what the Navy is doing to help with that process.

"The ERB looked at 31 ratings and Sailors in those ratings that had more than seven years service, but less than 15, as of Oct. 1, 2011," said Chief Navy Counselor (AW/SW) Minerva Verley, NAS Kingsville's career counselor.

The first step for separating Sailors is to obtain a DD Form 2648, Preseparation Counseling Checklist for Active Component Service Members from their command career counselor. The counselor goes over the form with the Sailors to ensure they are aware of the assistance and benefits available to them.

The checklist covers employment assistance, relocation assistance, education, training, health and life insurance, finances, and veterans benefits among other items.

The next stop is the Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC).

The FFSC offers transition assistance classes, among other services for departing service members. Transition assistance is one of Ramon Panganiban's chief responsibilities, at the NAS Kingsville FFSC.

"Many of the Sailors I see are really stressed out, especially the ERB Sailors," Panganiban said. "Many of them came into the Navy straight from high school and have spent the past 12 to 14 years in their current career field. This, the Navy, is all they know. I prepare them to become a civilian."

Fire Controlman 2nd Class (SW) Natascha Josey entered the Navy out of high school and was not selected for retention.

"I don't take it personally," Josey said. "But it's hard to absorb. It feels like I'm standing on rocky ground and that everything I have been working for has been taken away from me."

Josey said she is not sure what she wants to do or where she wants to go when her enlistment ends in September.

Helping to reduce that uncertainty is what Panganiban says is one of the objectives of the FFSC.

"We ensure they know what resources are available to them and that they go to TAP class," Panganiban said. "I continue to touch base with them, too, sending them vacancy announcements, as I see them, and referring them to job fairs and counseling, if needed."

The FFSC offers transitional assistance that includes resume writing, financial counseling and relocation counseling. They also answer questions about veterans' and educational benefits.

Panganiban says everyone's circumstances are different; from their rating, to marital status or education, to whether they rent or own a home. He says its his job to guide them to varying resources based on their circumstances.

For example, Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Fuel) 1st Class Nathan Jones, would like to move to Georgia where he owns a home. He'd like to work for the military there in his chosen career field. However, he may have to consider other options.

"Because of the economy, Sailors may have to relocate to find jobs," Panganiban added, "and not necessarily where they were looking to move to.

"My heart goes out to these Sailors who are getting caught in this (ERB)," Panganiban said. "But, we're here for them, the FFSC. We not only offer transition assistance, but have two counselors on staff available to talk to. We'll send them information about job fairs and job opportunities, but the rest they have to do on their own."

Both Panganiban and Verley believe the Navy and the command are doing everything possible to support ERB-affected Sailors. That includes offering opportunities to receive one-on-one counseling, as little or as much as they need, so they are as prepared as possible to depart the military and enter the civilian workforce.

"After I give them pre-separation counseling," Verley said. "They can come back anytime as questions come up."

"I have the resources I need (because of command support), I just need to decide what I want to do and put it in resume format," Josey said.

"I'm trying to look at it like this could open the door for better opportunities," Jones said. "Things happen for a reason. I may not like how it happens, but when one door closes, another opens."

Face of Defense: Airman Serves in First Lady’s Office

By Air Force Tech. Sgt. Chris Powell
Defense Media Activity

FORT MEADE, Md., Feb. 1, 2012 – A C-17 Globemaster III pilot is helping First Lady Michelle Obama in her effort to rally support around the country for service members and their families.

Air Force Lt. Col. Rodney Lewis, former commander of the 4th Airlift Squadron at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., is one of four service members in the 15-member 2011-2012 class of White House Fellows.

Lewis began his fellowship in August and serves in the first lady’s office. President Lyndon B. Johnson created the White House Fellows Program in 1964 to give promising American leaders "first- hand, high-level experience with the workings of the federal government, and to increase their sense of participation in national affairs," according to a White House news release.

"I think for any airman to understand how our government works and how you as an airman fit within the construct of our Constitution is key," Lewis said. "I will have a much better understanding of all three branches of government."

Lewis' primary mission is to help the first lady and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, with their “Joining Forces” program, a national initiative to mobilize all sectors of society to support service members and their families.

Three pillars -- employment, education and wellness -- make up Joining Forces, Lewis explained. The employment pillar focuses on helping veterans and spouses expand employment and career development opportunities. The education pillar helps military children by working with schools to make them more aware of their unique academic needs, and the wellness pillar brings attention to critical issues facing veterans and their families.

"We don't work on issues that aren't real,” Lewis said. “This is about impacting all service members across the board. One of the biggest roles that I play is the understanding of the grassroots level and to put some validity to what we're working on with Joining Forces."

Lewis said one of the highlights of his fellowship was getting the opportunity to meet with a group of business leaders in New York who were interested in finding ways they could employ veterans transitioning from the military. Part of his role during the meeting was "breaking down stereotypes and answering questions about how they could do that," he said.

"These individuals have the authority to go out and chart the direction of their companies and say, 'Yes, we are going to hire veterans. That's going to be a part of our strategy,'" he noted.

Lewis said he sees similarities between working at the White House and leading airmen in the Air Force.

"A normal day here is much like being a commander in the Air Force," the lieutenant colonel explained. "I don't think of my day in terms of ending, but being able to create and move forward on the initiatives I'm working on. There are meetings that I will attend on behalf of Joining Forces, but really, my day is [about] going out and engaging government and private industry to help them understand and shape what the first lady wants to do with Joining Forces."

Lewis was directly responsible for the Defense Department's only prime nuclear airlift force, which handles the nation's most-sensitive cargo and provides tactically qualified C-17A crews who stand ready to airdrop combat troops and supplies anywhere in the world.

In 2010, Lewis received the Air Force Association National Medal of Merit for his work supporting children with medical problems in the “Pilot for a Day” program. He is a native of Oklahoma City, Okla.

(Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr. of American Forces Press Service contributed to this article.)

Panetta, Dempsey: Chiarelli Inspired All

By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2012 – The Defense Department and the Army said goodbye today to a general known for his leadership and his innovation, but who may be best remembered for his focus on advancing brain injury treatment and mental health care.

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were among hundreds who gathered today at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall’s Summerall Field to celebrate the career of Army Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, Army vice chief of staff, as he retired following 40 years of service.

As the son of a World War II Silver Star recipient, Chiarelli “exemplified the values of his father: of patriotism, of courage, of resilience, of dedication,” the secretary said.

Panetta said he traveled to Baghdad as part of the Iraq Study Group in September 2006, where the group heard a briefing from Chiarelli, then commander of Multinational Corps Iraq. Iraq at the time was “in considerable turmoil,” the secretary said.

“But Pete’s presentation demonstrated an extraordinary knowledge of the 21st-century battlefield,” he continued. “He was honest, he was direct, he called it as it was, and he pulled no punches.”

The secretary said one member of the group who was particularly impressed with Chiarelli was then-Texas A&M University President Robert M. Gates, who as secretary of defense later chose the general to serve as his senior military assistant.

“For 17 months, Pete served as Bob Gates’ right-hand man, advising him on a full range of pressing national security matters, and always -- always -- giving him insight into how the decisions he was making would impact on the men and women on the battlefield.”

The hallmark of Chiarelli’s career is “the depth of his concern for the welfare of every soldier,” the secretary said. “It’s that quality that made him the perfect choice to be the vice chief of staff of the Army.”

For his more than three years in that job, Chiarelli has not rested, Panetta said, but has devoted himself to improving the lives of soldiers and family members at a time of extraordinary strain.

“Under his leadership, the Army has taken tremendous steps to give soldiers increased dwell time [at home stations] between deployments, and he’s been an outspoken advocate for wounded warriors -- in particular, those suffering from the unseen wounds of war,” the secretary said.

More than any other officer, Panetta added, Chiarelli sought to eliminate the stigma of post-traumatic stress and other mental health issues.

“And he’s devoted every ounce of his energy to the problem of suicide in the Army,” the secretary said. … “Thanks to his tireless efforts, the department is fully working to confront these issues.”

Panetta said Chiarelli and his wife, Beth, have made “an extraordinary difference.”

“You’ve touched so many lives,” he told the couple. “You’ve inspired all of us … to redouble our efforts to protect the men and women who fight to protect us.”

Panetta assured Chiarelli that while the nation’s military members will miss him, “the light that you have lit will continue to shine, and to light our way in the future.”

Dempsey used his remarks in part to offer guidance to media members covering the event: “I want you to report that we have never had a finer man in uniform, and never a finer couple, than Pete and Beth Chiarelli,” he said.

Dempsey said his fellow general is an outstanding son, husband, and father, as well as “an unbelievable friend.” But as a soldier, the chairman added, Chiarelli “is a giant of a man in every way, inside and out.”

Dempsey said that after watching Chiarelli “stalking the halls of the Pentagon,” he finally got the image he was seeking to describe his fellow general, likening the general to Paul Bunyan, the larger-than-life lumberjack of North American folklore.

“[It’s] almost like he’s got a big hatchet or ax on his back, hacking his way through the bureaucracy to make life better for soldiers and their families,” the chairman said.

Dempsey said before the end of the Cold War, Chiarelli was known as one of the finest trainers in the Army, and was the first commander assigned to Iraq to realize -- and train his staff to deal with -- the key question of how to run a city.

In Baghdad, Chiarelli led the Army to transform its “fundamentally flawed” command-and-control structures, and then to make those systems reach to ground troops, so a squad leader could build context from the bottom up, Dempsey said.

When he came back from war, Dempsey added, Chiarelli confronted the Army’s “enduring challenge” with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress injury.

“He drove our Army -- drove it -- to recognize the problem, to reduce the stigma, to confront it. And that was Pete Chiarelli,” Dempsey said.

Beth Chiarelli likewise worked to improve the Army, the chairman noted, by focusing among many other issues on the challenges military children face while changing schools frequently during a parent’s career.

“Here’s the bottom line,” Dempsey said. “The enduring example of both Pete and Beth Chiarelli is that you have to live with a passion for something. The goal is not just to make a living, but to make a difference. And boy oh boy, did you two make a difference.”

On Chiarelli’s last day at work, Dempsey noted, hundreds of members of the Army staff formed a cordon from his Pentagon office to the parking lot to “clap him out” of the job.

“What struck me was this wasn’t organized by his executive officer, it wasn’t organized by any other general officer, it was organized by the noncommissioned officers,” the chairman said. “And if that doesn’t tell you about Pete Chiarelli, you don’t know anything about Pete Chiarelli.”

During the ceremony, Chiarelli received the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the department’s highest noncombat military award. His wife, Beth, received the Secretary of the Army Exceptional Civilian Service Award, the highest Army honor a civilian can receive.

Chiarelli thanked his wife and their four grown children for their love and support during his career. Marrying Beth was the “best decision I ever made,” he said, adding that they are both “immensely proud” of their sons and daughter.

Chiarelli said he bought his father a journal after the senior Chiarelli retired, and asked him to record some of his experiences from World War II, during which the older Chiarelli received a battlefield commission.

“I still have that journal,” the general said. “Every page is blank. He never wrote a single word. Like many from his generation, he never talked about his experience or exploits in combat.”

One of his father’s fellow soldiers, however, sent him a 24-page narrative outlining some of the two men’s shared exploits across North Africa, Italy, southern France, Austria and Germany.

That document proved to him something he’s also learned for himself over four decades in uniform, Chiarelli said: “There is undeniably a thread that links every soldier to those who came before, and those still to come.”

Years after commanding 1st Cavalry Division in Iraq and later Multinational Corps Iraq, Chiarelli said, not a day goes by that he doesn’t think of the 650 soldiers under his command who were killed.

“I would trade all the medals and ribbons on my chest, and every bit of rank, to get just one back,” he said.

Two years ago, Chiarelli added, he presented a Purple Heart to a young staff sergeant who had been wounded in successive roadside bomb explosions in Afghanistan.

“He was there with his parents, his wife and their two children,” the general said. “Over the course of our conversation, he told me how much he loved being a soldier, leading soldiers. He wanted desperately to get back to his unit.”

Chiarelli said the young man was suffering from traumatic brain injury, and it was “readily apparent to me he had difficulty gathering his thoughts and speaking.”

The general said he now believes the invisible injuries of post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury are the signature wounds of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

“While we have made significant progress in recent years, we must, must, must continue our efforts,” Chiarelli said. “We owe it to our men and women in uniform, active and reserve, as well as veterans, and their families.

“I want this to be my parting message to all of you as I leave our Army’s active ranks,” he concluded. “I certainly hope in retirement to be able to continue to champion this most important cause, and contribute in some meaningful way.”

Voluntary Sea Duty Program Provides Sailors New Opportunities

From Chief of Naval Personnel Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- According to NAVADMIN 043/12, released Jan. 31, the Navy is asking Sailors to volunteer for sea duty under a new initiative called the Voluntary Sea Duty Program (VSDP).

Volunteering to return to sea duty under this program offers two key benefits.

"The Voluntary Sea Duty Program's goal is to improve manning levels at sea, while providing motivated Sailors the benefits of geographic choice and stability as well as the deferment of their Perform-to-Serve window," said Rear Admiral Tony Kurta, Director, Military Personnel Plans and Policy Division. "This opportunity allows Sailors a chance to improve their record and increase their competitive edge in PTS through sustained superior performance at sea."

This program does not change eligibility or benefits for the Sea Duty Incentive Pay Program and Sailors may take advantage of both programs concurrently.

Under the program, Sailors may apply to extend their enlistment in their current sea duty billet beyond their prescribed sea tour, terminate their shore duty early in order to extend their enlistment to obtain new orders to a sea duty billet, or accept back-to-back sea duty orders. The sea duty assignment may be onboard ships, squadrons, or other qualified sea duty assignments.

Volunteers will be assigned to commands within the same geographic location as the current command if available, providing the benefit of geographic stability for Sailors and family members. The Navy will also consider Sailors' requests for out-of-area moves.

Volunteers will not be required to accept a billet they do not desire. The detailers will work with volunteers during two CMS/ID cycles to find desirable orders. If no match is found during this time period, Sailors can reapply.

To be eligible to apply for a short term extension to defer PTS, Sailors must meet eligibility criteria to ensure competitiveness in their next PTS window. However, Sailors who do not meet these criteria, but have enough obligated service time can still apply for geographic stability or choice.

Requests will be accepted until Sep. 30, 2012. All 1306/7 requests should be forwarded to Navy Personnel Command via the Chain of Command.

For complete information on eligibility, restrictions and application procedure as well as benefits of VSDP, read NAVADMIN 043/12 at NPC.navy.mil.

Sendoff ceremonies planned for two Wisconsin National Guard units

Two sendoff ceremonies will be held Saturday (Feb. 4) for nearly 200 Wisconsin National Guard members headed overseas.

The first ceremony, for approximately 130 Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldiers of the Oshkosh-based 1157th Transportation Company, will be held at 11 a.m. at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Eagle Hangar, 3000 Poberezny Road, Oshkosh, Wis.

Prior to their deployment overseas, the Soldiers will train for several weeks at Camp Shelby, Miss. Once their mobilization training at Camp Shelby is complete, the Soldiers are scheduled to deploy to the U.S. Central Command theater of operations. While the unit was preparing to deploy to Kuwait, due to reallocation of forces, the 1157th may be considered for other Central Command missions, pending approval by the Secretary of Defense.

 The second sendoff ceremony, for approximately 60 Wisconsin National Guard members of the 82nd Agribusiness Development Team, will be held at 2:30 p.m. at Hartford High School, 805 Cedar St., Hartford, Wis.

During their deployment to Afghanistan, the 82nd ADT — comprised of Wisconsin Army and Air National Guard members — will employ their individual military occupational specialties along with the their specific civilian skills, knowledge and abilities to teach Afghan farmers how to effectively farm and herd to expand their agribusiness, create jobs and reduce poverty.

Projects that other agribusiness development teams have undertaken include training Afghans in beekeeping, advising grape farmers in the use of trellises to increase yield, educating livestock owners in the use of vaccines to improve herd health, and establishing demonstration farms to highlight various agriculture techniques.

 The members of the 82nd ADT consist of various administrative and technical staff, including forestry specialists, agronomist, agricultural marketing specialist, a hydrologist, a pest control specialist, engineers, a veterinary technician, mechanics, medics, communications specialists and security personnel.

Both ceremonies are open to the public.

EDITORS AND NEWS DIRECTORS: News media are welcome to cover the sendoff ceremonies Saturday, Feb. 4.

 1157th Transportation Company at EAA: From U.S. 41, take Exit 116 east (Wis. 44/South Park Road). Turn right on Knapp Street Road, and right again on Poberezny Road. Follow traffic signs to EAA general parking. Eagle Hangar is attached to the EAA Museum.

82nd ADT in Hartford: From Milwaukee, take U.S. Highway 41 north to State Highway 60. Travel west on State 60 and take Exit 64B; turn left onto County Road K. Turn right on E. Monroe Avenue, and left on Cedar Street. From Madison: Take U.S. Highway 151 north to Exit 115, and turn right onto State Highway 60/State 16. Continue traveling east on State 60 when 60 separates from 16. Turn right onto Cedar Street.

Ukrainian Sailors Tour USS Vella Gulf

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Brian Glunt, Navy Public Affairs Support Element-East Detachment Europe

SEVASTOPOL, Ukraine (NNS) -- Ukrainian naval officers and sailors visited the guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) Jan. 27 and 28, during a scheduled port visit.

This visit to Ukraine serves to continue U.S. 6th Fleet efforts to build global maritime partnerships with European nations and enhance maritime safety and security.

"We had a visit from the master chief petty officer of the Ukraine navy, Sergei Ryabstery, and about ten of his more senior chiefs," said Vella Gulf Command Master Chief Sheila Langejans. "He wanted to see how we manage our young Sailors and how we work with them to grow as leaders and more productive technicians."

After a lunch with Ukrainian and U.S. naval officers, Capt. Mark Harris, commanding officer of Vella Gulf, personally toured with Ukrainian navy Capt. Andrew Ryzhenko.

The tour continued the next day when Ukrainian sailors came aboard to view the different areas of the ship including the bridge, flight deck, mess halls and officers' quarters.

"The Ukrainian sailors seemed to have a really good time," said Ensign James Wolters. "They were really impressed with the weapons and they really thought that the six-man officers' berthings were extravagant. They all seemed very appreciative of the tour. It was a really pleasant experience."

U.S. 6th Fleet continues to collaborate with the Ukrainian navy and other global maritime partners, increasing the collective capability of the region and enhancing overall maritime domain awareness in the Black Sea.

Vella Gulf, homeported in Norfolk, Va., is conducting theater security cooperation and maritime security operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility.

Face of Defense: Surgical Tech Becomes Army Aviator

By Army Staff Sgt. Regina Machine
13th Public Affairs Detachment

CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait, Jan. 31, 2012 – Army Maj. Jonathan Steinbach, an aviator with the Washington National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 168th General Support Aviation Regiment assigned to 3rd Army/U.S. Army Central Aviation Task Force Raptors here, took an unusual route to the cockpit.

 “I was an enlisted surgical technician in the Army Reserve,” Steinbach said. “I worked as a surgical technician at a private hospital while I was a cadet in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at University of California–Berkley.”

The summer before his senior year, the Spokane, Wash., native decided to join the active-duty Army as an infantry soldier, but his ROTC advisor encouraged him to become an aviator instead.

“It sounded interesting, flying helicopters, so I did a flight physical and requested it,” he said. “I was then branched aviation in the regular Army.”

Even though going from the operating room to the cockpit of a helicopter was a unique transition, Steinbach completed it with ease. When he completed his regular Army commitment in 2003, Steinbach moved to Washington for work and asked the battalion commander of the local National Guard headquarters where he was needed the most. The battalion commander told him he was needed with Company C, 1st Battalion, 168th General Support Aviation Regiment, so he put his uniform back on and returned to aviation.

As the Task Force Raptors liaison, Steinbach works to shape the mission and set appropriate expectations with clients. The unit provides air movement support to leaders and distinguished visitors in 3rd Army’s area of responsibility. Although being an aviation liaison can prove to be time consuming, it does not stop the pilots from maintaining proficiency with their skills.

“Major Steinbach and I are both current UH-60 Black Hawk pilots,” said Army 1st Lt. Jason Miller, a Shelton, Wash., native and deputy aviation task force liaison, also assigned to Company C. They maintain their currency by flying missions at Camp Beuhring, he added.

Steinbach said he is proud of the job that the members of his unit do here as well as at their home station.

“The young men and women in the flight company make me incredibly proud to be a soldier and an aviator,” he said. “When I go out to the flightline with a very important person and I see the crew chief standing at attention and rendering a salute under the rotor disk of a raging Black Hawk, my chest swells with pride.”

Steinbach has not fully left his operating room roots. As a civilian, he is a sales representative for a less invasive surgical treatment. In the operating room, Steinbach said, he refers to himself as an instructor pilot.

“I teach surgeons how to do surgery with a robot, and I teach nurses and technicians how to give the surgeons what they need while keeping the patient safe throughout the procedure,” he explained.

Steinbach said he considers himself fortunate to be able to use the two career skills he has learned while in the Army to assist others, and credits his fellow aviators for his continued success here.

“As a staff aviator, I do not consider myself to be the best pilot,” Steinbach added. “The other pilots and crew chiefs are so patient and generous with their skills and their experiences, it makes me proud to be in their community.”

U.S. Naval Base Guam Participates in School Career Day

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Waris Banks, U.S. Naval Base Guam Public Affairs

BARRIGADA, Guam (NNS) -- Sailors from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 5 joined U.S. Naval Base Guam (NBG) Fire and Emergency Services firefighters and inspectors in a career day for students at P.C. Lujan Elementary School in Barrigada, Guam Jan 25.

The contingent from NBG spoke to students about their day-to-day activities in their respective fields, demonstrated equipment use and answered questions about their careers.

P.C. Lujan guidance counselor and career day coordinator Vera Elliott said the event showed students the tremendous importance of military presence on island and gave them a wider view of different career opportunities they are able to explore as they get older.

"Having the military presence here showed the kids that it's not only the local, but also military people who play a big role in the community," Elliot said. "Their presence here helped the kids better understand the field each person was presenting on."

The NBG firefighters' presentation included a visit by Sparky the dog, a chance to see a fire engine up close and a presentation on fire safety tips. Kindergartners and first-grade students learned safety techniques such as, 'stop, drop, and roll' and 'stay low and go.'

"Teaching them that young will help them to remember fire safety as they grow up," said NBG Fire Inspector Bethany Satterlee.

The firefighters' goal for visiting career day was to inform students that though NBG Fire and Emergency Services is part of a federal agency, their duty extends to assist the local community when there are fires or other emergencies which require assistance.

"We want the community to know that we're there to help and that we're not just locked down on the base," said NBG Fire Chief Robert Green.

Students were able to see the MK Talon II robot in action from EODMU 5. The robot, which is maneuvered by remote control and used to safely disarm dangerous explosive devices, roamed around a grassy field as the technician showed students different controls and buttons on the panel board.

"We showed them a couple of the tools that we use in the EOD career," said Explosive Ordnance Disposal 2nd Class Mario Spencer, of EODMU 5.

In addition to the MK Talon II robot, the students saw the bomb suit, helmet and various EOD items.

"The kids loved the robot," Spencer said. "They loved trying on the bomb-suit helmet."

The Sailors spoke to the students about EOD rating and the intense preparation technicians endure as well as other careers in the Navy and their experience in the armed forces.

Their presentation also included practical safety advice as well. Since Guam was a site of intense fighting during World War II, there exists the possibility of discovering live explosive devices around the island.

"We told them 'stay away from it [and] don't touch it [and] let their parents know or an adult and have them call the proper authorities,'" said Explosive Ordnance Disposal 2nd Class (EWS) Matthew Herrygers, of EODMU 5.

In addition to the two groups from NBG, career day participants included the Guam Army National Guard and Guam Homeland Security.

USO Innovates to Better Support Troops

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2012 – The USO has served America’s troops and their families for seven decades, but thanks to innovations and adaptability, it’s not the same old USO, the organization’s president said.

“We have basically the same mission we’ve had for the last 71 years -- to lift the spirits of America’s troops and their families,” Sloan D. Gibson told American Forces Press Service.

“But one of the things we realized is that the needs of troops and families are changing all the time,” he added. “So we’ve tried to change and adapt over those 71 years to make sure that we’re meeting the most urgent needs. And [that we’re] also using the most up-to-date technology to meet those needs.”

Gibson said the USO continues to seek ways to better serve the nation’s service members and their families.

“We ask a simple question of ourselves: ‘If our mission is to lift the spirits of America’s troops and their families, who needs us most?’” he said. “The answer today is certainly different than it would have been before 9/11. So as we think about that with all the things that USO does. We want to make sure we’re taking care of our forward-deployed troops that are serving in harm’s way.”

Gibson said the USO also strives to meet the needs of military families enduring the stresses of multiple deployments, as well as healing heroes and their families and the families of fallen service members.

“So what you find are facilities and programs that are delivered all over the world that are designed to help those that need us most today,” he said.

Although the USO is best known for entertaining service members and families, Gibson said, the organization has become attuned to other needs.

“Entertainment is still a big part of the USO, … but as you think about the needs of troops and families, we’ve got to constantly adapt,” he said. “For example, we now operate eight USO centers -- soon to open our ninth USO center -- in Afghanistan.

“These centers are visited more than 100,000 times a month,” he added. “We know that connecting forward-deployed troops with their families back home is really important, so we’ve installed in those centers high-speed Internet connections and a private telephone network where troops are making over 2 million free phone calls every year.”

The USO president said these kinds of changes take place based upon the needs of today’s troops and based upon the important role that military families play today. The organization also adapts to mission changes, he noted, such as the end of the war in Iraq.

“We closed our last center in Iraq during the fourth quarter of 2011,” Gibson said. “We’ve taken the large majority of the resources that we were investing in Iraq and shifted those into Afghanistan. That’s one of the reasons that we’ve been able to support such a large growth in our presence in Afghanistan -- most through our centers, but also through a program called ‘USO2Go,’ where we actually ship pallet loads.”

Gibson said the average “USO2Go” shipment weighs a ton and consists of everything from video games to snack foods.

“They tell us what they need right there at their small combat outpost or small forward operating base, and we ship it out there,” he said. “And it arrives right there. It’s like Christmas when it shows up.”

Gibson said the USO also has created programs to help meet the needs of wounded, ill and injured troops.

“We’ve looked at those that needed us most, focusing on healing heroes and their families and our families of the fallen,” he said. “We’ve begun to build an array of programs that are designed to best meet their needs.” These programs cater to those suffering from invisible wounds as well as physical ones, he added.

“We’ve launched a new public service announcement that really focuses on the invisible wounds of war,” Gibson said. “One of the roles that the USO has played historically is we’ve been kind of a bridge between the American people and their families. So this is another one of those examples where we’re reaching out to the American people to help them understand the challenges that many of our troops and their families are facing right now with these invisible wounds.”

Gibson said it’s a “labor of love” for the USO to create new ways to serve service members and their families while ensuring their needs are met.

“We all care very deeply about what we do,” he said. “I get the opportunity -- I have the privilege -- to spend time with these men and women. I can’t say that I know what they go through, but I certainly have an appreciation for that. And if there’s something that we can do to say ‘Thank you,’ to express our gratitude, that’s really, really important.”

USS Whidbey Island Welcomes Fleet and Family Support Prior to Return to Homeport

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class (SW/AW) Desiree D. Green, USS Whidbey Island Public Affairs

USS WHIDBEY ISLAND, Atlantic Ocean (NNS) -- Deployed Sailors aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41) welcomed representatives from Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC) Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Jan. 26-30.

FFSC representatives conducted several classes over the three-day period to assist in the smooth transition from life afloat to life ashore to a crew that has been underway for nearly a year.

"Seeing the Fleet and Family representatives brings the end of deployment into focus for our Sailors," said Whidbey Island Command Master Chief (SW/AW) Kevin Goodrich. "After ten and a half months of operational stress and mission focus, they are finally given the opportunity and the vehicle to start shifting their thoughts to the return and reunion they are about to enjoy. They are very excited to see civilians with news from home; and the enthusiasm Susan and Linda bring is infectious."

Both retired Navy chiefs, representatives Linda Wilkinson and Susan Presnell educated Sailors over a three day period offering both group and one-on-one information sessions. The classes included reunion and intimacy, returning single Sailors, returning to children, single parenting, new parents and money management.

"We are here to provide programs that ease the integration for both the Sailor and their family members," explained Wilkinson. "We offer programs, information, and referral services for self-improvement, counseling, parenting and money matters for the children and all the way up. Our job is to assist the military family in whatever they may need."

Several Whidbey Island service members who attended the briefs agreed that Wilkinson and Presnell were beneficial not only because they provided valuable transitional information, but also because of their personal experiences as former service members.

"They have made me so much more comfortable with going home," said Operations Specialist 2nd Class (SW/AW) Jody Miller, who attended several of the briefs offered. "I could definitely tell they were prior enlisted. The information that they put out was very helpful and they were really understanding of our situation and current state of mind."

Wilkinson agrees that her military background gives her insight on how to approach personnel.

"I have a deep passion for this. I love working with service members," said Wilkinson. "Having both been prior enlisted; I believe it makes us more sensitive and able to relate to what they are going through. I feel like if I can help them help themselves, it improves their quality of life, their careers, their home lives. They are taken care of and that will improve their lives and ultimately, mission readiness."

Many members of the crew agree that after a deployment of this length, outreach from FFSC is important.

"It's good that they came," said Hull Technician Fireman Preston Myatt. "We've been gone so long that for many of us, we need a little bit of help and encouragement being reintroduced to society and our families. I learned a lot and I felt like we could really be ourselves when discussing how we were feeling."

"I think that it's very important that these services are provided to Sailors during deployment. It gives us an idea of what to expect and how things may have changed," said Miller. "My favorite brief was on reunion and intimacy. It covered almost everything and they used skits to re-enact real life situations that we may encounter after our return."

In addition, representatives held briefs on everything from purchasing a new vehicle in Hampton Roads, Va., to current state laws. They also held a baby shower for the new fathers on board.

"It was really special besides being very informative," said Logistics Specialist Seaman Aaron Perry. "I learned a lot of things that I didn't know. I was extremely nervous, but I left the shower feeling much better about handling the challenge of being a first-time dad. I am so thankful that the ship and the representatives cared enough to do that for us."

In total, FFSC representatives held more than 10 classes over a three-day period.

"Fleet and Family Support Centers play a vital role in the Navy by ensuring Sailors and their families have access to the resources necessary to maintain the highest state of personal and family readiness," said Goodrich. "In addition to the seven briefs they offer to returning ships, they offer briefs to the families of returning Sailors and work closely in a supporting capacity with our Ombudsman and Family Readiness Groups."

Neither Presnell nor Wilkinson had worked with a crew deployed for this length of time, and were impressed with the crew's continuing morale.

"The crew has been phenomenal," said Presnell. "From the moment we stepped foot on deck, they made us feel like family. I was expecting some low morale but everyone is in really good spirits. I don't know if it's because they are headed home, but I think it's just an amazing crew."

"We didn't really have to change our approach. The crew has really handled this deployment very well and adapted. They were great," Wilkinson added.

Though many crew members were grateful for having FFSC provide these resources, Presnell and Wilkinson were equally grateful for the opportunity to assist them.

"I am truly humbled to be here," said Presnell. "This crew has done essentially two deployments back to back. I have a ton of respect and I am very grateful for their service. They have been standing the watch for almost an entire year while we have been at home with our families. I am excited for them to return home and I know I speak for both of us when I say that we are glad to have been here to share in their happiness as they finally make their way home to their friends and family. They truly deserve it."

Whidbey Island deployed March 23, 2011 as part of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group. The Whidbey Island has spent the past ten and a half months supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet area of responsibility.