President Awards Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy to Naval Academy

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 18, 2014 – The U.S. Naval Academy football team visited the White House today to receive the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy from President Barack Obama.

The annual trophy goes to the team that wins the most games in head-to-head football competition among the Naval Academy, the U.S. Military Academy and the U.S. Air Force Academy.

The president noted that the Naval Academy team has some experience in this regard -- it’s the ninth time Navy has won the trophy in the last 11 years.

“This is the second time these seniors have come here to claim the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy. If you guys have your punch cards with you, the next one is free,” the president joked.

The team had a good season, Obama noted, but he added that “the fact that for these outstanding young men, football isn’t even the main thing” is more impressive.

“When you sign up to play at Annapolis, you know you’re in for a different experience,” the president said. “A typical day starts at 6 a.m. in the training room. Breakfast is at 7 a.m. After that, it’s class, lunch and football meetings. Then more class, football practice, dinner. Free time starts at 8 p.m., which most players use to study until midnight. And when students at other colleges are enjoying summer vacation, these guys are busy with military training and summer school and offseason workouts.

“So, yes, it's about learning to be a good football player,” he continued, “but more importantly, it’s about learning how to be a good leader and to be a good man. And that’s what these outstanding Americans are and will continue to be.”

Obama noted that 14 of midshipmen on the football team will be commissioned as ensigns in the Navy next month, and eight others will become second lieutenants in the Marine Corps.

“That’s their commitment to service,” he said. “That's the commitment to country and to each other that sets this team apart.”

Battaglia Fields Questions on ‘Troop Talk’ Program

By Terri Moon Cronk

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 18, 2014 – Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, answered questions from the total force on the premiere of the Pentagon Channel’s “Troop Talk” program today, covering topics from women’s roles in combat to hiring veterans.

Battaglia answered questions submitted through social media outlets and from studio audience members.

One of the top queries from the audience concerned the extent of women’s roles in combat. Battaglia noted that full implementation of women into combat ranks is scheduled to take place in 2016.

“Everything is tracking fine,” he said of the services allotting billets for women in frontline positions. “Women are part of the team -- one team, one fight.”

In the arena of sexual assault, the sergeant major said the Defense Department is making strides toward eliminating the crime from its ranks.

“Sexual assault is a continuing challenge in the military,” Battaglia said. “We’ve made vast, significant efforts. We’ve equipped commanders with more investigation techniques to build evidence to help prosecute the perpetrators. We have a robust victim’s assistance program.”

Affording dignity and respect to sexual assault victims is important when cases are being investigated, he said, and officials are continuing to work the issue.

“We’re not going to give up,” he said.

Battaglia also emphasized the importance of hiring veterans, noting that “an appetite” exists among small to large corporations to hire former service members.

“Veterans are commonly known for their talents, skills and work ethic, whether they served four years or four decades,” he said. “They are an investment. [The military] teaches them to fight, and then how to re-enter society to do many great things. Our responsibility as military leaders is to mold and develop them to do our nation’s [work], and then prepare America’s sons and daughters to go back into society.”

Battaglia also discussed a book titled, “The NCO and Petty Officer: The Backbone of The Armed Forces,” which he published with the help of a group of noncommissioned officers. “It’s an easy read,” he said, adding that it is free, and available.

NCOs want to continue to be leaders, he noted, so sharing the book is important. Battaglia said he wants young enlisted service members to read the book to realize they can aspire to become NCOs.

He added that he’d like to see officer corps members read it as well, because it may provide ideas on how they can empower their NCOs. It’s also important for parents of service members to read it, Battaglia said.

“A civilian can read it,” he added. “It’s not filled with military jargon.”

“Troop Talk” host Scott Howe asked Battaglia what “We will never forget” means to him.

“That’s a very emotional topic [to all service members],” Battaglia said. The number of casualties from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars might be small when compared with World War I and World War II, but the wars of the last 13 years have been “up close and personal,” he said.

Stationed here in the nation’s capital, Battaglia said, he’s reminded daily to “never forget” when he drives every day past Arlington National Cemetery.

“When I jog by the Korean and World War II memorials, I drop a knee and say a prayer,” he said. “The price of freedom is not free.”

Enlisted Leader Visits Mayor, Transitional Housing, Clinic

By Amaani Lyle

American Forces Press Service

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., April 18, 2014 – The senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff visited city hall, a veterans center and a Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic here yesterday to learn about how veterans, citizens and elected officials take care of current and former military members.

At city hall, Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia met with Mayor Alvin Brown and his staff to discuss veteran matters, with a particular focus on the homeless and disabled population.

“Through grants and partnerships, our team has been able to provide emergency financial assistance to veterans for rent, utilities, food and clothing,” said Harrison Conyers, the city’s veterans and community outreach manager. “We help people who need immediate assistance and who we can’t just refer out –- we’ve got to take care of ourselves.”

Conyers explained that his department develops monthly career exercises, ongoing resume and state workforce board assistance, free tax preparation and more.

“We’ve been able to expand what we’re doing without impacting the taxpayers,” he said. “In a short time, we’ve pretty much doubled the services we can provide to veterans.”

With Jacksonville’s densely populated veteran community, the need for assistance never wanes, said Victor Guillory, director of military affairs and veterans department in the mayor’s office.

“Through the generosity of grants and the local communities, we have funds to help veterans stay in their homes,” he said.

But the mayor’s office, Guillory noted, also works closely with the Five Star Veterans Center, a community resource and transitional center for veterans who need additional help maintaining a homestead. The facility holds 22 residents who are in various stages of phased rehabilitation customized for their situations.

The residents get a safe place to sleep, a continental breakfast, soup and a sandwich for lunch and a hot meal for dinner, said retired Marine Corps Col. Len Loving, the center’s chief executive officer.

The first phase involves an agreement to remain on the premises, abide by the rules and garner the necessary resume and computer training, Loving said. From there, the center’s staff works with local VA officials to assess residents’ physical and psychological issues before connecting them to a caseworker for further individual assistance, he said. “The resident will need to develop short- and long-term goals and commit to part-time school and work or full-time work,” he added.

The center’s staff and volunteers work with employers to identify issues, and they help the residents correct them to establish a steady, reliable work ethic.

Fourth phase residents have about three months to set up a bank or credit union account and develop an exit plan for independent living.

“We hope they’ll save enough to have about two months of expenses when they walk out of here,” Loving said. “We help them with a care package of clothing and furniture, and even tap into VA programs so they can handle their own expenses.”

Loving said that in his experience with thousands of veterans, there is typically a three-to-four-year delay after service before veterans who need help truly realize that they do. And the abrupt shift from a high-intensity environment to one of day-to-day life maintenance activities can be harrowing for those who suffer from post-traumatic stress or traumatic brain injury, he added.

If compounded with financial problems stemming from divorce, alimony or child support issues, the perfect storm and downward spiral intensifies, he said.

“If a military member gets a divorce while on active duty, a judge typically bases child support payments on their salary at that time, which becomes significantly reduced once they’re no longer in service,” Loving noted. And in Florida, he added, nonpayment of child support results in a driver’s license suspension.

Loving said he has received offers from lawyers to help veterans free of charge to manage child support payments and ask judges to grant restricted licenses for veterans to commute to work or school.

One resident said he confided in Battaglia to share his experiences and challenges with him during the visit.

“The sergeant major is a damn good Marine,” the resident said. “He’s a lot more knowledgeable and more open to listen to us than any other officer or enlisted person I’ve ever met.”

But as a growing number of veterans require ongoing medical and mental health care, the need for quality facilities to take care of them increases as well. The VA outpatient clinic here is “more than a doctor’s office, but short of a hospital,” said Dr. R. Daniel Morgann, chief medical officer. But the staff is trained to deal with emergencies, he added.

This clinic has about 37,000 patients in its care, and the staff sees 1,200 to 1,500 patients daily. Morgann said the VA’s unique mission there called for specialized design and planning.

“We wanted to make sure there was intimacy, but there was also a lot of space,” Morgann said. “We didn’t want anyone to feel corralled.”

The clinic, he explained, provides a broad range of general and specialized medical, dental, surgical, psychiatric, nursing and ancillary services and serves acute and chronically ill eligible veterans, without them having to visit more remote VA facilities.

“Our veterans require care that runs the gamut from minor health care needs to urgent care,” the doctor said, but he noted the clinic can stabilize veterans with physical or mental issues before transferring them to either local facilities or to the Gainesville or Lake City VA Medical Centers.

The doctor said he learned early on the disparity between business and care when it came to medicine.

“The VA was a way for me to deliver care and focus on the patients, not revenue,” he said. “The idea is to reduce costs through innovation, but not at the expense of quality, accessibility and personalized interaction.”

And while telemedicine -- remote, computerized patient care -- is a burgeoning technology that can expedite and facilitate some medical needs and therapies, Morgann said, it shouldn’t completely replace in-person engagement and care with veterans.

“We can leverage this technology, but we have to do it where and when it is smart,” he said.

Battaglia Reflects on Total Force, Military Appreciation

By Amaani Lyle

American Forces Press Service

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., April 18, 2014 – As he concludes his week-long visit here, gratitude has emerged as the lingering theme, the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia’s schedule included engagements with multiple demographics ranging from adolescents to people in long-term care to learn more about their experiences in and with the military.

“Everywhere we stopped, there was always someone, regardless of whether they served in the past or not, who when they see you in uniform, exhausted all efforts to say, ‘Thank you for your service,’” the sergeant major said.

From Junior ROTC high school students to commissioned and noncommissioned officers, wounded warriors, volunteers, family members and senior retirees at a Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic, Battaglia reflected on how each group is an integral part of the total force.

“It’s the intent and scope of each one of my stops that I engage with the base or post, the community and the VA,” Battaglia said, “because those are three legs to the stool that, if missing a leg, can become very unstable.”

After interacting with high school Junior ROTC youth at Naval Air Station Mayport here, Battaglia visited the Jacksonville Military Entrance Processing Station. The sergeant major recounted that he got to engage not only with youth who were about to commit to the military, but also with people about the same age who were about to begin their careers.

“Administering the ceremonial oath and getting to meet with the MEPS staff was very educational,” Battaglia said. “While it was monumental for some of them to have me visit, it was even more monumental for me to be welcomed into their facility.”

This summer, Battaglia said, he will meet with Gold Star families who have lost a loved one to combat. “They’ll never be forgotten, and they’re part of the total force, too,” he said. The meetings, he added, are all part of the public-private partnership that bridges the gap between the military members and citizens and allows him to gauge the relationships among many entities.

“The base has to be open to its community, the community has to be open to its base, and the VA is a conduit as well,” Battaglia said. “I’m happy to report the relationships are strong in Jacksonville, and it’s really a model for the United States to work after.”

He said visits such as this enable him to make comparisons to other cities. “Should I see some best practices, I’m happy to share that with other communities to say that it’s not ‘the’ way, but perhaps ‘a’ way. … And I think our country can benefit from it,” Battaglia said.

The sergeant major said he will return here in early June.

“The city of Jacksonville appears to love its military men and women,” Battaglia said. “I got that by sitting with the mayor … all the way to talking with the employee on kitchen duty at the veterans homeless shelter.”

USS Mason Returns from Deployment

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Rob Aylward, USS Mason Public Affairs

USS MASON, At Sea (NNS) -- Guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87) returns Norfolk, Va. from a nine-month deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility (AOR), April 18.

"This deployment was the culmination of nearly 30 weeks of training, preparation and assessments," said Cmdr. Mikal Phillips, Mason's commanding officer. "This crew was extremely well prepared mentally, physically, and emotionally for the entire range of operations they faced."

The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer deployed July 22, 2013, primarily serving as part of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (CSG) in support of combined task forces (CTF) 55, 150, and 151. Mason also briefly joined the Nimitz CSG earlier in deployment, supporting CTF 58 operations in the Red Sea.

"Regardless of location, strike group or task force, Mason has met every challenge with tenacity and professionalism," said Master Chief Eric Hovik, Mason's command master chief. "I feel very fortunate to be part of the Mason family."

Embarked Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 74, Detachment 3, flew missions almost daily utilizing two MH-60R Seahawk helicopters. The squadron completed more than 1,200 flight hours, 400 sorties and two bilateral helicopter cross decks in support of maritime security operations.

"The integration of the MH-60R is a complete force multiplier," said Phillips. "The capability and proficiency the pilots and their aircraft bring to anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, command and control, search and rescue, military lift and even medical missions, is astonishing."

Notable events for Mason included a counter-piracy exercise with elements of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (Navy) in the Gulf of Aden last fall. The combined events included visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS), live-fire proficiency and aviation operations with Chinese destroyer Harbin (DDG 112) and Chinese auxiliary ship Weishanhu (AO 887) to enhance bilateral interoperability between U.S. and Chinese naval assets in the 5th fleet AOR.

Mason's VBSS team also patrolled the AOR in rigid hull inflatable boats as part of maritime interdiction operations conducting approach and assist visits of fishing dhows to better understand fishing patterns and establish a working rapport with locals.

"We strived to improve relations with local mariners by keeping the waterways safe," said Lt. j.g. Jeffrey Fasoli, Mason's ordnance officer. "We not only offered assistance to local dhow masters, but positively influenced the deterrence of piracy, terrorism and both human and drug trafficking in the region."

Mason conducted port visits to Amsterdam, Netherlands; Aqaba, Jordan; Manama, Bahrain; Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates, and other international ports.

"Mason has executed each port visit with liberty and good conduct ashore as a mission focus," said Phillips. "From our vigilant watch-standing while in port to the superb and professional conduct displayed by our Sailors on liberty, Mason's crew has been an excellent ambassador for our Navy and our country."

Pope Airmen respond to medical emergency

by Tech. Sgt. Peter R. Miller
440th Airlift Wing

4/17/2014 - Pope Field, N.C. (Apr. 6, 2014) -- "Help! I'm having a heart attack!" she said as she sat down next to her car. From her car window, stopped in the middle of the street, peered her 2-year-old son.

On Mar. 14, 2014, three Air Force Reservists with the 440th Operations Support Squadron happened upon this scene while returning from lunch, said Senior Airman Kristany Lattin, a 440th OSS intelligence analyst. They immediately took action to secure the scene and care for the woman and her son.

"He was standing in the car looking down at his his mom lying in the middle of the street, so I sat with him," said Lattin. "He was laughing and very talkative but I couldn't quite understand him, but I could understand him say, 'mom die?' So I would tell him, 'no, mom's fine' and distract him with something else."

The boy had plenty of toys, said Lattin. Later, she and the child would shoot road signs with his toy guns as Capt. Courtney Merril followed the ambulance to the hospital, she said.

"The Air Force has given me the ability to respond to stressful situations," said Lattin, a Greenville, N.C., native. "It's important to know what to do in a stressful moment and have the ability to apply it."

Tech. Sgt. Mary Smith, NCO-in-charge of the 440th OSS intelligence squadron assessed the scene and took the patient's vital signs, she said.

"I was calm because I knew I had recently taken CPR training and we had (aeromedical evacuation crews) around the corner," said Smith. "The training made me more comfortable because I knew exactly what to do when I saw her. It was actually really easy."

After driving the woman's car out of danger, Merril, a 440th OSS intelligence officer, ran to retrieve a first aid kit, aspirin and an automatic defibrillator from her squadron headquarters, where she happened upon Capt. Jack Solghan, a flight nurse with the 43rd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, said Smith.

"They had the situation in hand when I got there" said Solghan. "They showed scene awareness, collected data for the ambulance, and stabilized the patient. They did exactly what they were supposed to do."

Merril called the woman's husband, a Fort Bragg soldier, who was able to meet the four Airmen at the hospital, said Solghan.

"She went one step further by calling him," said Solghan. "It just shows that we're one team in one fight. These are the skills we use in war, but we use them at home too."

Even though the patient was having a panic attack and not a heart attack, this real world example demonstrates the teamwork and responsiveness Air Force Reservists train to use whenever and wherever an emergency occurs, said Lattin.

"They are representative of the very best that we bring into the Air Force today," said Lt. Col. John Kitchell, 440th OSS Chief of Intelligence. "This underscores how our people routinely do extraordinarily great things. I am intensely proud of my division."

Wing tests wartime readiness

by Senior Airman Chasity Lollis
147th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs

4/16/2014 - HOUSTON -- Members of the 147th Reconnaissance Wing participated in an Operational Readiness Exercise at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base here April 1-6.

An exercise evaluation team assessed the members on their ability to ensure operational readiness in a simulated war-time scenario.

Participants were evaluated on the speed and accuracy of their responses during rocket attacks, mass casualties, aircraft fires and fuel leaks.

"We want to keep our people sharp," said Senior Master Sgt. Thomas Gulley, the command post non-commissioned officer in charge. "There's a turnover with personnel over a period of time, and we want to train the new people with the additional skills required in a war time environment."

OREs are conducted once a year or every other year in order to facilitate necessary deployment training.

In the beginning of every exercise, Airmen struggle to remember the information provided in their Air Force Manual 10-100, Airman's Manual, or what they should do when the alarm sounds over the loud speaker Gulley said.

For the traditional guardsman, this training is important because guard members are as equally likely to deploy as their active duty counterparts.

"It's all about learning lessons, learning how to do your job better for the next time, so when we go into a real-world situation, people are more comfortable," Gulley said. "Folks may not have the opportunity to do some of these things on a daily basis, so it's all about repetition and training."

Exercise evaluation teams are not the only ones who oversee these types of exercises. Safety officers also play an integral role in making sure the training goes smoothly.

Master Sgt. Todd Wilson, the weapons safety manager for the wing, explained all the moving parts that go into safety's role in these kinds of exercises.

"Our role in safety is the same whether it's during a deployment - before or after," Wilson said.

Besides looking for the normal violations, like people driving too fast or not wearing their seatbelts, safety personnel also look to make sure players are using the proper protective equipment during the scenarios Wilson added.

As someone who's participated in multiple exercises and deployed several times, Gulley provided some parting wisdom to young Airmen involved in OREs.

"Have patience," Gulley said. "No matter how long you've been in the service, you definitely need to dust the rust off."