Texas Guard members connect with Uganda airmen, children

By Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Malcolm McClendon

Task Force Raptor

SINGO, Uganda (4/23/12) – The road four Texas Army National Guard Soldiers took to the Singo Training Center each day of their deployment here opened up an opportunity for them that they won’t soon forget.

“Every morning, I remember passing a school at the entrance of the Singo Center,” said Army 1st Lt. Victor Lauersdorf, a security officer with Task Force Raptor, 3rd Squadron, 124th Cavalry Regiment, and a member of the Texas Army National Guard. “It was unique, because the same field the children used for their recess, the Ugandan People's Defense Forces used for their military training.”

Lauersdorf, along with Army Staff Sgt. Jason Smith, Sgt. Enrique Icedo and Spc. James Andrew, exchanged best practices with Uganda Air Force airmen during an RQ-11 Raven unmanned aircraft system operational skills course held here March 19 through April 7.

“The Raven is a small, unmanned reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft,” Smith said, a squad leader with Task Force Raptor. “It is flown in support of ground troops, giving commanders an eye in the sky on what may lie ahead.”

The Raven is a new addition to the UPDF, and Smith said the Ugandan airmen new to the unit took the training very seriously.

“It’s a lot of information for a technology that most of these guys have never seen, but these guys were up to the challenge,” said Smith. “We’d give them tasks and homework and the next day they had everything memorized and completed. These men are well prepared for what challenges may lay ahead.”

Like their U.S. counterparts, the Ugandan airmen constantly train for possible deployment and to defend their country. They also share the likelihood of being away from family and friends back home.

“The children of the airmen we trained with attended the school we passed every day,” Lauersdorf said. “As a father of two children, I empathized with the Ugandan servicemen who could at any time leave their families behind.”

Remembering how they felt when they themselves left home for deployments, the Guard members decided to take the opportunity and pay the Ugandan children a visit.

“We all pitched in a few dollars of our own money and bought some school supplies and soccer balls for the children to use,” Smith said. “When we showed up with the supplies, the smiles on the children were priceless. We spent a couple of hours with them playing, shaking hands and taking pictures with them. It was a special experience.”

The Ugandan servicemen were also touched by the act of kindness, Lauersdorf said.

“When we asked the leadership if it was OK to visit the school, they said yes and let us know that they were very appreciative of the gesture,” Lauersdorf said.

“They said they couldn’t believe that not only did we come to train with them, but now we are helping out their children as well,” he said.

DOD Announces Recruiting and Retention Numbers for Fiscal 2012, Through March

The Department of Defense announced today recruiting and retention statistics for the active and reserve components for fiscal 2012, through March.

Active Component.

Recruiting.  All four active services met or exceeded their numerical accession goals for fiscal 2012, through March.

Army - 27,701 accessions, with a goal of 27,550; 101 percent

Navy - 15,151 accessions, with a goal of 15,151; 100 percent

Marine Corps - 10,625 accessions, with a goal of 10,591; 100 percent

Air Force - 14,353 accessions, with a goal of 14,353; 100 percent 

Retention.  The Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force all exhibited strong retention through the sixth month of fiscal 2012.

Reserve Component.

Recruiting.  Five of the six reserve components met or exceeded their numerical accession goals for fiscal 2012, through March.

Army National Guard - 24,706 accessions, with a goal of 25,991; 95 percent

Army Reserve - 14,095 accessions, with a goal of 12,852; 110 percent

Navy Reserve - 3,756 accessions, with a goal of 3,756; 100 percent

Marine Corps Reserve - 4,485 accessions, with a goal of 4,216; 106 percent

Air National Guard - 4206 accessions, with a goal of 4,192; 100 percent

Air Force Reserve - 4,255 accessions, with a goal of 4,255; 100 percent 

Attrition - All reserve components are on target to achieve their fiscal year attrition goals.

Detailed information on specific recruiting data can be obtained by contacting the individual military recruiting commands at 502-626-0164 for Army, 210-565-4678 for Air Force, 703-784-9454 for Marine Corps, and 901-874-9048 for Navy.  The reserve components can be reached at the following numbers:  National Guard Bureau 703-607-2586; Army Reserve 910-570-8330; Air Force Reserve 703-697-1761; Navy Reserve 757-322-5652; and Marine Corps Reserve 504-678-6535.

#SAAM: SUBASE New London Sailors Attend Sexual Assault Training

By Lt. Cmdr. Jennifer Cragg, Commander, Submarine Group 2 Public Affairs

GROTON, Conn. (NNS) -- Sailors assigned to Naval Submarine Base New London attended two Sexual Assault Training events at the Dealey Center in Groton April 18.

Rear Adm. Rick Breckenridge, commander, Submarine Group 2 addressed the Sailors prior to the kick-off of the training about the institutional changes required in our Navy to end sexual assault.

"This year, this month, our purpose is to talk about this frankly and to make a resolute to change this behavior within our organization," said Breckenridge. "We will make it crystal clear without ambiguity on what the rules are within the Navy."

Breckenridge added that "sexual assault is not to be tolerated; sexual assault, period, is wrong."

Deb Drucker, Sexual Assault Response coordinator at Naval Submarine Base New London, provided training and discussed how sexual assessment is contrary to the Navy's core values.

"The Navy is deeply committed to how it responds to sexual assault and the best way to train its force and how to deal with this issue," said Drucker.

"Efforts will not stop in April, it's our moral duty to keep Sailors and their families safe," said Drucker. "Sexual assault affects us all."

The goal of Navy Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), April 2012 is to reduce sexual assaults through direct, sustained engagement of all-hands at all levels, while sending the message that preventing the crime is everyone's duty.

Sexual Assault Prevention and Response is an important element of the readiness area of the 21st Century Sailor and Marine initiative which consolidates a set of objectives and policies, new and existing, to maximize Sailor and Marine personal readiness, build resiliency and hone the most combat-effective force in the history of the Navy and Marine Corps. The Department of the Navy is working to aggressively to prevent sexual assaults, to support sexual assault victims, and to hold offenders accountable.

Help raise awareness by joining the conversation on social media using #SAAM.

Secretary: U.S., Latin America Face Common Challenges

By Cheryl Pellerin

American Forces Press Service

ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT, April 23, 2012 – Latin America figures prominently in the Pentagon’s new defense strategy as an increasingly capable region that shares common challenges with the United States, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said today.

Panetta is on his first trip to South America as defense secretary with visits planned in Colombia, Brazil and Chile. He has visited the region before as CIA director, as a member of Congress and as chief of staff to former President Bill Clinton.

One goal of the defense strategy, Panetta said, is to build innovative partnerships and alliances that will strengthen relationships in places like Europe, Africa and Latin America.

“The purpose of this trip is to engage in consultations with a number of our partners in this part of the world, trying to promote innovative security partnerships in the region,” he told reporters traveling with him.

Latin America is a key region, the secretary added. Its countries are neighbors in this hemisphere “and we face some common challenges,” he said.

Among those challenges are narcotics trafficking and its spread to Africa, terrorism, cyber security, and the ability to provide humanitarian assistance, he said.

“One of the things these countries are doing is developing their own regional security [as well as] doing outreach with their security development,” Panetta said. “So that’s something we want to review and try to help them with.”

Partnerships in the region will include joint training, exercises, technology sharing and other kinds of assistance.

On this trip, the secretary said, the focus will be on old and new partners.

“I will be in Colombia where we have worked for a long period of time, even since I was in the Congress, trying to provide assistance to them, particularly with regard to narcotrafficking,” Panetta said, going after the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarios de Colombia, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, called the FARC.

“Colombia, to its credit, has done a tremendous job in going after the FARC,” he added, which at one point numbered 20,000, but now has about 8,000 members.

Many countries in the region look to Colombia for lessons learned over a decade, he said.

In the emerging power of Brazil, Panetta said, “I want to build on the U.S.-Brazil Defense Cooperative Dialog” that President Barack Obama and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff agreed this month to commence.

There, he said, “We’ll be looking at defense trade, scientific research, technology sharing, logistics cooperation and cyber security.”

The secretary then will visit Chile, which Panetta said is “doing a great job in developing regional security. We’ll get a chance to see some of their exercises up close and their developing capabilities.”

During this trip, Panetta added, “we’ll really try to develop a key part of our new defense strategy, which is to … reinforce some very innovative partnerships in a very important region of the world that represents a key security interest for the United States.”

Misawa CPO 365 Helps Conduct Beach Cleanup

By Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Daniel Sanford, Naval Air Facility Misawa Public Affairs

MISAWA, Japan (NNS) -- Members of the Navy Misawa CPO 365 Program spent the morning cleaning up the local Misawa Fish Port, April 21.

The event was in coordination with the 42nd annual observance of Earth Day, a global event filled with activities highlighting environmental concerns and issues.

More than 30 Misawa Air Base chief petty officers (CPOs) and board-eligible first class petty officers worked together to help the community pick up trash and help beautify the areas in the local community.

"Were here this morning to help out our host country and Mother Nature," said Chief Navy Counselor Todd Wean, who hails from Sarasota, Fla. "The members of CPO 365 do monthly community relations projects together anyway, so it seemed like a good fit for us to combine our effort in the community, while also helping out the environment in the process."

The cleanup is always one of the largest environmental awareness projects in Misawa with several tons of refuse being collected and removed from the fish port.

"We have a great relationship with the local community, and they are very open, receptive and helpful to service members living here in Misawa," said Chief Cryptologic Technician Collection Erika Haws, who originally hails from New Orleans, and serves as the Navy Misawa CPO 365 community relations coordinator. "It's nice to return the favor, and help make this area even more beautiful than it already is."

Besides, the CPO 365 members, many more Misawa service and family members were also on hand to help with the cleanup. Misawa cub scouts, girl scouts and numerous other base groups and organizations joined CPO 365 in their effort.

"It's nice to see folks of all ages come on out from the base and take ownership in the local community," said Wean. "We love Misawa, and this is just one small way that we can make it an even better place to be stationed and live."