Remains of Marines, Sailor from 15th MEU transferred to Dover AFB

 

Story by Staff Sgt. Kassie McDol, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – The remains of seven Marines and a Sailor recovered Aug. 7 off the coast of San Clemente Island following a July 30 assault amphibious vehicle mishap were transferred Aug. 12 to Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California.

Six pallbearers of Marines and Sailors escorted each casket aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III bound for Dover AFB for final preparation for burial before being released to their families for final arrangements.

Transferred were:

Pfc. Bryan J. Baltierra, 18, of Corona, California

Lance Cpl. Marco A. Barranco, 21, of Montebello, California

Pfc. Evan A. Bath, 19, of Oak Creek, Wisconsin

Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class (Fleet Marine Force) Christopher Gnem, 22, of Stockton, California

Pfc. Jack-Ryan Ostrovsky, 20, of Bend, Oregon

Cpl. Wesley A. Rodd, 22, of Harris, Texas

Lance Cpl. Chase D. Sweetwood, 18, of Portland, Oregon

Cpl. Cesar A. Villanueva, 21, of Riverside, California

The remains of Lance Cpl. Guillermo S. Perez, 19, of New Braunfels, Texas, who also died in the AAV mishap July 30, were transferred to Dover AFB on Aug. 5 from MCAS Miramar.

The ages of the deceased have been updated, as a previous press release listed them incorrectly.

Gnem was posthumously advanced to the rank of petty officer third class and posthumously awarded his enlisted Fleet Marine Force Warfare Specialist qualification, having met the criteria set by the Navy for both before his death.

We ask that the privacy of the families be respected as they make final arrangements for their loved ones.

The cause of the July 30 incident is under investigation.

Imagery of the recovery efforts and transfer of remains will be available at https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/15thmeurecovery.

Media should direct all queries to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit Communication Strategy and Operations Office at kassie.mcdole@usmc.mil.

Fast Forward

 

Oregon Army National Guardsmen move towards their objective during training at Biak Training Center in Powell Butte, Ore., July 30, 2020.

Fiery Flare

 

Navy Seaman Stephen Otchere-Danso trips the wire for an M49A1 trip flare during training at Camp Grayling, Mich., Aug. 11, 2020.

Misty Maneuver

 

An airman rappels out of an aircraft during training at Lake Theodore Roosevelt in Roosevelt, Ariz., Aug. 5, 2020.

Defender-Europe

 

An Army M1 Abrams tank fires at a target during Defender-Europe at Drawsko Pomorskie Training Area, Poland, August 11, 2020. The exercise was designed to build strategic readiness

National Defense Strategy Key to Force Restructuring

 Aug. 12, 2020 | BY TERRI MOON CRONK , DOD News

As the Defense Department looked at restructuring its forces in Europe, officials had to decide how a restructure would deal with today's threats as defined in the National Defense Strategy, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told the Hudson Institute today.

Air Force Gen. John E. Hyten said the NDS — which focuses on force lethality, increasing partners and allies, and reforming DOD — is a strategy "based on a threat."

When DOD looked at Europe, it had a series of priorities, he said:

• Whatever we do in Europe should improve our deterrent posture. 
• DOD must better engage with its allies across the European continent. 
• DOD needs to improve its partnership with NATO. 
• DOD must make sure its armed forces are ready and it could give more flexible options for deploying the force. 
• DOD must ensure it is true to its commitment to its service members and their families that are deployed in Europe.

"We are moving [some] forces back to the United States so we can improve readiness, and then deploy them back into Europe on a rotational basis and some other places in Europe to allow us to better be postured for the threat," the vice chairman said.
 
"You'll see Poland be a more active partner, you'll see Romania be a more active partner, [and] you'll see the Black Sea area more active because that's where we improve our deterrence versus Russia, which was [Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper's] No. 1 priority," Hyten said.

After the military is done with the restructure, the largest number of forces will still be in Germany, he said, calling Germany "a critical ally."

The secretary asked DOD to build a new joint warfighting concept and to have the first defined by the end of this year, Hyten said. 

The secretary also said to integrate the Army's focus on multidomain operation, the Air Force's focus on multidomain command and control, and the Navy's focus on fleet operations, the vice chairman said. "As we've looked at each of those, we started to build a joint warfighting concept," he added. 

"But it's really combined in … all the main command and control, because we have to be able to do it with our allies and partners too," he said.

"Because if we figured out how to do it in the United States, … since we do everything as a coalition, when we bring a coalition together, they have to understand how to fit in because we have to draw a line for them."

If DOD and its allies can do all of that together, the general said, it creates a huge advantage for the future joint combined force, and it will create huge challenges for competitors around the world to try to figure out how to deal with it. Hyten said that's the path DOD has been going down for a while, and it's starting to actually mature and come to fruition now. "It's pretty exciting to see," he said.

Allies and partners are probably DOD's biggest advantage in the world today, "and will be as far as I can see in the future," the vice chairman said.

"[We] want to make sure that when our allies come with us — whether they come with us in the air at sea on the land — that they have capabilities to allow them to interoperate with the tactical units they're falling in with."

The command and control relationship is going to be "critically important to build as we go forward," Hyten said.

MWD, handlers receive conflict management training

 

By Dani JohnsonAugust 12, 2020

ANSBACH, Germany (Aug. 11, 2020) – Soldiers and their military working dogs (MWD) received conflict management training Aug. 7 at Oberdachstetten Training Area to reduce the risk of avoidable safety events to the force and enable dog handlers to continue to successfully meet the mission.

Seven teams from Ansbach and three from Grafenwoehr received the daylong training that consisted of socialization exercises and classroom training on working dog psychology, instinctive drives and behavior, communication and canine body language, and canine stress management.

“Since October 2019, we have had a string of bites with the military working dogs with our Soldiers and a majority of them took place during kennel care when they would go into the kennels to clean or feed,” said Duane Stinson, MWD program manager, U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR), Wiesbaden. “Unfortunately at the MWD School at Lackland (Air Force Base, Texas), new dog handlers are not currently taught to read behavior. It might be briefly talked about but they don’t put any time teaching them to read behavior or go into really good communication between dogs and handlers.”

When the dog bite cases were looked at, the common denominator was that they could have been prevented if the Soldiers had been able to read canine behavior and communication signals, and could have seen what was coming and to react better to it, according to Stinson.

“We looked at the problem set. Between Maj. (Desireé) Broach, the veterinary behaviorist, and myself and 31K (military working dog handler) leaders here in Europe got together and developed a course to educate them (handlers),” Stinson said. “We developed the training and are traveling to all seven kennels in Europe to deliver seminars focused on stress management in the kennel environment and with the individual dogs and handlers how to manage their (MWD) stress. They are patrol dogs so they are trained to bite people and that is a very stressful task.

“They aren’t like police dogs that go home (with the police officer) and are part of a family unit,” he said. “Dogs are a social species, they don’t get to interact a lot and in the exercise they do fight with each other. This is the time to work through those issues and relieve the stress and anxiety that comes with the lack of dog-on-dog socialization.”

According to Broach, director and veterinary behaviorist, Veterinary Medical Center Europe, Kaiserslautern, there is lag time with what science says and what we currently practice. There is a knowledge gap to fill and handling practices that need to be updated.

“We trying to correct a problem with new information and are not saying the handlers are wrong,” said Broach. “We are saying that we have more information to make it safer for the handler and better for the dog.

“The original intent was we didn’t want them to socialize together because we wanted them (the MWDs) to be bonded to people,” the major said. “They will bond with people and dogs so it is not a reason to keep them from normal expressions of behavior and we’ve seen the adverse effects from suppressing their normal behaviors.”

The training is only offered in USAREUR, according to Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Barry, kennel master, 131st Military Police Detachment (MWD), 18th Military Police Brigade.

“We are trying to teach the handlers the importance of understanding what your dog is thinking and what your dog is doing to help make the right decisions,” said Barry. “You can understand and see the signs of how your dog is thinking and feeling.

“If you can read your dog you can see what is going to happen before it happens, such as you see him getting uncomfortable nervous or scared,” said the kennel master. “You can manipulate that dog to give him confidence and work through it or avoid it all together.”

In the socialization exercise, the handlers and MWDs walked to a flat lot and circled numerous times allowing the dogs to interact. All the dogs had muzzles on to prevent injuries and remained leashed.

To the normal person it will look like the dogs are fighting versus socializing.

“Getting them together in a safe manner is going to force you to watch their behaviors. When you are a bit more tense and vigilant your dog reacts to you,” said Broach. “How they react to other dogs together may surprise you. We want them to be dogs and interact but they may not know what to do because they have never had the opportunity.”

“It definitely opened my eyes,” said Sgt. Ian Long, Ansbach MWD Kennel non-commissioned officer in charge. “The dogs can be very anxious towards one another and we built that into them.”

Long knew his MWD, Kimbo, was anxious around people and dogs, and hopes this training will help socialize him more so they can focus on the mission.

The Ansbach MWD Kennel houses eight handler-dog teams dedicated to helping to safeguard Army installations and activities, to detect bombs and other explosives before they inflict harm and to deploy worldwide to support military and diplomatic missions

USAG Rheinland-Pfalz Military Policeman rescues local national after rollover accident

 

By Keith PannellAugust 12, 2020

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – Sgt. 1st Class Chad Bailey won’t call himself a hero. However, his actions may prove otherwise.

The U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz Directorate of Emergency Services Military Police Investigations supervisor was travelling with his family on the L-529, near their amusement park destination Aug. 9 when brake lights in front of him suddenly lit up and traffic came to a sudden and screeching halt. That’s when Bailey saw a car, crunched at both ends and laying on its top on the opposite side of the road.

“I looked at my wife and she said, ‘Go!’ because she knew what I was doing,” Bailey said. “I opened the door and jumped out. I was wearing my bathing suit and one thing I remember is my wallet swinging back and forth really hard in my pocket as I ran forward. I had to reach down and hold it still so I could run.”

The scene Bailey ran up on was worse than he expected.

“The engine was still running, the tires were still spinning and smoke was rising from the engine compartment,” he said. “There were two people in the car, a man who was already out but very shook up and a female. Two other people tried to pull the female out but looked like they were afraid to touch her. She was struggling and very confused.”

After Bailey helped her the rest of the way out of the overturned Mercedes, she sat there in a disoriented state. He said he was trying to communicate to the German woman that she may be in danger, but it appeared his words weren’t getting through to her.

“I gave her about three seconds and told her, ‘We need to move’ and she wasn’t hearing me, so I finally said, ‘Auto go boom!’”

Bailey picked the woman up from behind with his arms under hers and dragged her to a shaded spot away from the wrecked car. Military Combat Lifesaver Course training kicked in and he checked her for injuries, of which he didn’t find anything obvious.

Bailey has been part of the garrison about 11 months as the MP Investigations supervisor. His skill in that job made him a natural for the head of Team Trace, which tracks down the contacts of those who have tested positive for COVID-19.

“Sgt. 1st Class Bailey has already made a name for himself within the garrison as the noncommissioned officer in charge of Team Trace operations,” said Maj. Chase Crabtree, DES director. “He’s a stellar individual and I’m not surprised he ran toward the danger. I’m blessed to have him.”

After monitoring the couple for a few minutes, the Polizei arrived and Bailey said he got back in his car and, when traffic started moving, he and his family went on to enjoy their day. The whole incident took less than 15 minutes, he said.

“I did lay in bed Sunday night wondering how that couple was doing,” Bailey said. “I’m glad it doesn’t appear anyone was hurt too badly.”

As for the cause of the accident, Bailey’s investigation training led him to a couple of possibilities, but rather than speculate, he’s leaving that up to the host nation investigators to officially determine.

Brooke Army Medical Center Offers 'Last Line of Defense' Against COVID-19

 Aug. 12, 2020 | BY Elaine Sanchez , Brooke Army Medical Center

Brooke Army Medical Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas, is expanding its use of a highly specialized treatment for critically ill COVID-19 patients.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO, is a heart-lung bypass intervention that is proving to be lifesaving for some COVID-19 patients.

"ECMO is often the last line of defense for the most critically ill patients with severe pulmonary disease," said Air Force Col. (Dr.) Patrick Osborn, BAMC's deputy commander for surgical services. "Whether due to COVID-19 or another condition, ECMO provides a life-support option that can potentially save lives when all other options are exhausted."

BAMC, one of the few local facilities that offer the treatment, is providing up to one-third of the ECMO capability for the San Antonio area's most severely ill residents, veterans and military beneficiaries suffering from the virus.

"As much as able, BAMC is easing the burden on local health care resources by admitting civilian ECMO patients," Osborn said.

ECMO Explained

This treatment, which requires a multidisciplinary team of specially trained medical personnel, is used in the intensive care unit when a patient experiences heart or lung failure. The ECMO machine removes blood from central vessels in a patient's body, circulates it through an artificial lung, oxygenates it, and delivers the blood back into the bloodstream. In essence, it replaces the natural functions of the heart and lungs, allowing the treatments to help heal the affected organs.. 

"ECMO is not a treatment for any specific disease," said Air Force Col. (Dr.) Phillip Mason, medical director for BAMC's adult ECMO program. "It works by keeping critically ill patients alive and buying time for us to address their underlying condition. In some cases, we can reduce a patient's chance of dying from 80 to 90 percent down to 30 to 40 percent. While 30 to 40 percent is still high, it represents a significant improvement and translates into many lives saved."

Established in October 2012, BAMC's adult ECMO center is the only one in the Defense Department, and it remains one of the few centers with global air transportable ECMO capability. The multiservice ECMO team has traveled as far as Iraq and Afghanistan to pick up service members in need of the treatment.

While taking care of military beneficiaries is BAMC's primary mission, the organization is able to support civilian ECMO patients through a special Defense Department program. The experience gained ensures the ECMO team sustains the skills required to mobilize worldwide to treat and transport patients back to BAMC, Osborn said.

COVID-19 Care

Due to the highly specialized personnel, training and equipment required to care for ECMO patients, BAMC typically could treat only up to four patients at any given time prior to the outbreak. In recent weeks, the hospital has expanded its capability and is treating up to nine patients at a time, most of whom are battling COVID-19. 

An ECMO team carefully considers the treatment after other lifesaving measures, such as oxygen therapy or a ventilator, have proven ineffective.

"The vast majority of the critical care community believes that ECMO is effective as a rescue therapy for respiratory failure that does not respond to conventional therapies," Mason noted. 

BAMC is also part of a multinational observational trial of ECMO's use for COVID-19. The trial should help to reveal evidence-based proof of the treatment’s effectiveness, but that's further down the line, Mason said. 

"While COVID is a complex disease affecting many organ systems, its primary manifestation is respiratory failure, so there is at least some reason to believe ECMO will be effective," he said, noting the treatment is often used for other viral respiratory illnesses, such as influenza.

We have the highest highs and the lowest lows. But each life saved is incredibly rewarding for us and a testament to the importance of this treatment.''

Air Force Col. (Dr.) Phillip Mason, BAMC Adult ECMO Program

With the program in place for nearly a decade, BAMC's COVID-19 team is accustomed to working closely with local hospitals in the event a patient may be a candidate for ECMO. This collaboration has stepped up in recent months, creating a larger influx of patients. 

To expand capacity to meet the growing community need, BAMC called on its ECMO team to train additional nurses and technicians on the equipment, while also leaning on personnel from the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research Burn Center, which is housed in the hospital, to assist. 

"With the support of the ISR we have been able to expand our ECMO capacity significantly," said Army Maj. (Dr.) Michal Sobieszczyk, staff physician, interventional pulmonology and critical care medicine. "The BAMC and ISR bedside nurses have been instrumental in making the ECMO mission a success."

Lifesaving Treatment

ECMO may be a last resort for COVID-19 patients, but one that has proved lifesaving for many. Sobieszczyk recalled one recent patient in his late 20s who was placed on ECMO twice — once for COVID-19 pneumonia, from which he recovered, and the second time for a bacterial pneumonia and sepsis.  

"He required a high level of support and came close to dying several times," Sobieszczyk said. "Fortunately, he was able to be weaned off ECMO and his [breathing tubes were removed] earlier this week." 

As a last-resort measure, ECMO is a high-stakes endeavor, Mason noted.

"We have the highest highs and the lowest lows," Mason said. "But each life saved is incredibly rewarding for us and a testament to the importance of this treatment."

ECMO is just one line of defense against COVID-19, but one that BAMC is proud to offer to its beneficiaries and the community, Sobieszczyk said. 

"The ECMO team is honored to support the community during this pandemic," he said. "Not only are we able to help the civilian population, but at the same time use this as an opportunity to enhance our mission readiness. It gives everyone a sense of purpose and mission, something we all strive for in the military."

(Elaine Sanchez is assigned to Brooke Army Medical Center.)

Medics Train at Ramstein for COVID-19 Response

Aug. 12, 2020 | BY AIR FORCE STAFF SGT. KIRBY TURBAK , 86th Airlift Wing

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, people have adapted to and overcome an array of unanticipated situations. Medics within the Kaiserslautern Military Community in Germany have done, and continue to do, just that. On July 14, members of the Air Mobility Command arrived at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, to teach local medical instructors how to respond to a number of situations that could happen with a negatively pressured conex, a device used to safely transport passengers and medical personnel in the midst of a viral outbreak.

"We have a large group of individuals coming together from the 86th Medical Group and the 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron to form a COVID-19 team," Air Force Capt. JD Pilger, 86th AES interim training flight commander, said. The training equips the Europe-based trainers to implement the U.S. Air Forces in Europe for movement of patients for U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command, he added. 

While there hasn't been a large demand for NPC teams within Europe, military medics know it's best to be prepared.

"There's not a huge demand within Eucom currently, but we're training, getting ready so if there is a demand, we're ready to go," Pilger said. "There's not going to be any delay, we'll be able to start moving patients Day One."

Building up and preparing these teams is important. COVID-19 may not be the only global pandemic they are called on to combat.

"Going forward, we can use these units for potential outbreaks like Ebola and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome, which have a higher mortality rate," Pilger said. "It's important to maintain our NPC protocols for anything else in the future."

The AMC instructors ran the medics through the gamut of real-life scenarios.

"We covered around 15 different scenarios today," Pilger said. "Anywhere from a patient emergency, where they have a cardiac arrest and we're having to perform lifesaving maneuvers to bring them back, [to] a personal protective equipment breach and we have to decontaminate ourselves so we don't get infected."

Fighting COVID-19 is an all-hands-on-deck fight, and it's important for medics from different units to be able to work as a single team, Pilger noted.

"We had a great job with everyone coming together," Pilger said. "We've come together communicating and coordinating. We'll be ready to start taking live patients if the demand is there."

Warbird Carrier

 

The USS Essex transports vintage military aircraft into Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Aug. 10, 2020. The aircraft will take part in events commemorating the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Close-up Pups

 

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Cheyenne Morgan plays with some puppies during a command-sponsored community relations event at the Souda Animal Shelter, Souda Bay, Greece, Aug. 8, 2020. Sailors helped out around the shelter by performing yardwork and socializing with the dogs.

Above Japan

 

F-16 Fighting Falcons fly in a four-ship formation behind a KC-135 Stratotanker above Japan, July 31, 2020.

Marine Motivation

 

Marine Corps Sgt. Roxanne Gorostieta motivates a fellow Marine during physical training at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Aug.5, 2020.

Sailor Liberty

 

A sailor aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS San Jacinto goes on liberty following the ship's return to Naval Station Norfolk, Va., after a regularly scheduled deployment in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet, Aug. 9, 2020. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group has remained underway during the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Air Assault

 

Soldiers conduct training at Hohenfels Training Area, Germany, Aug. 10, 2020, during Saber Junction, an exercise designed to assess readiness and promote interoperability with allied and partner nations.

Drill Skill

 

U.S. soldiers perform firing drills at a range at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, Aug. 5, 2020, as part of a six-day team leader course.

Amphibious Ops

 

An air-cushioned landing craft prepares to enter the well deck of the USS Germantown as the ship conducts amphibious operations in Sasebo, Japan, Aug. 9, 2020.

Midnight Sun

 

Marines attack simulated enemy forces during Exercise Midnight Sun in Setermoen, Norway, Aug. 9, 2020. During the exercise, units practice arctic cold-weather and mountain-warfare training and conduct military-to-military engagements.

Saber Junction

 

Army CH-47 Chinook helicopters lift off during Saber Junction at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Aug. 10, 2020. The joint exercise is designed to assess readiness and promote interoperability with allied and partner nations.

Sports Heroes Who Served: Olympic Runner Louis Zamperini

Aug. 11, 2020 | BY DAVID VERGUN , DOD News

Sports Heroes Who Served is a series that highlights the accomplishments of athletes who served in the U.S. military.

In 1936, 19-year-old Louis Zamperini qualified for the Summer Olympics in Berlin. Even today, he remains the youngest American to qualify in the 5,000 meter track and field event.

He didn't earn a medal at the Olympics, but several years later he would take part in actions that resulted in medals earned for acts of valor.

In 1938, Zamperini attended the University of Southern California, where he set a national collegiate record of 4 minutes, 8.3 seconds in the mile, despite being intentionally spiked in the shins from competitors during that race.

The runner would soon shift gears in his career. He didn't wait for America's entry into World War II. Instead, Zamperini enlisted in the Army Air Corps in September 1941 and soon was commissioned as a second lieutenant.

In late 1942, he was stationed on the Pacific atoll of Funafiti. It and other islands at the time were a British colony, known as the Gilbert and Ellice Islands.

The Seabees had constructed a runway there, which was used by Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bombers. Zamperini was a bombardier. The bombardier sat in the cockpit, where .30-caliber Browning M1919 machine guns were mounted on both sides for forward protection of the aircraft. The navigator could man one of the guns if necessary.

Missions included bombing runs on Kiribati, one of the Gilbert Islands occupied by Japan, and another, Nauru, which was administered by Australia at the time.

On one return flight from a successful bombing mission over Nauru, Zamperini's aircraft was attacked by three Japanese Zero fighter aircraft. He and the other gunners successfully fought them off, but one of the crew members was killed, four others were injured, and the aircraft sustained severe damage, though it managed to land back at Funafiti.

Next, Zamperini was transferred to Hawaii, where he was a crew member on another B-24. Their mission this time was searching for lost crew members and aircraft.

On May 27, 1943, his aircraft experienced mechanical problems during a mission and ditched into the ocean 850 miles south of Oahu, Hawaii. Only three men survived the crash, including Zamperini.

They inflated life rafts and floated about for weeks. They captured two albatrosses that landed on their rafts. They ate one, and they used the other as bait to catch fish. Fortunately for them, it rained enough to supply drinking water.

There were some close calls. A shark brushed up alongside their rafts, but it left when they hit it with a raft paddle. They nearly capsized during a storm, and they were strafed a number of times by a Japanese bomber.

After 33 days, one of the three men died.

On Day 47, Zamperini and Russell Allen Phillips, who was the pilot of the doomed B-24, landed their raft at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, where they were immediately taken prisoner by Japanese sailors. He and Phillips were later transferred to a number of prisoner of war camps on mainland Japan and were separated. They wouldn't meet again until after the war.

Zamperini eventually was transferred to the infamous Naoetsu POW camp in northern Japan, where he remained until the end of the war.

The camp was infamous because of prison guard Mutsuhiro ''The Bird'' Watanabe, who relished torturing the men. After the war, Army Gen. Douglas MacArthur listed him 23rd among the top 40 most wanted war criminals in Japan. However, he was spared execution.

Marine Corps Maj. Greg ''Pappy'' Boyington was held at the same POW camp. In Boyington's book, ''Baa Baa Black Sheep,'' he wrote that Zamperini described Italian recipes to the men to keep their minds off their miserable situation. Zamperini grew up in an Italian family, and he didn't even learn to speak English until grade school.

While Zamperini was held captive, he first was declared missing at sea and later as killed in action. 

After the war, Zamperini said, he drank heavily and was extremely bitter about Watanabe and others who mistreated the prisoners. The life-changing moment for him, he said, came when he was attending a Rev. Billy Graham crusade in Los Angeles in 1949, which resulted in him becoming a born-again Christian.

He returned to Japan the following year, where he met many of his former guards to tell them he'd forgiven them. However, Watanabe refused to meet with him, so he wrote a letter of forgiveness to him.

In 1998, Zamperinia participated in the torch relay for the 1998 Olympic Winter Games in Kyoto, Japan. In 2010, Laura Hillenbrand wrote a book about him: ''Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption.'' Four years later, actor Jack O’Connell portrayed Zamperini in the film ''Unbroken.''

Zamperini died in 2014 in Los Angeles at 97.

More Stories of Sports Heroes Who Served

Sustainment Battalion Executes Unique Mission, Supports USAREUR

Aug. 11, 2020 | BY Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Jackson

The Defense Department's top priorities have not changed since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic: protection of the force and families, safeguarding of mission capabilities or readiness, and closely working with partners and allies to fight COVID-19 head-on.

The 83rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 7th Mission Support Command, in conjunction with other United States Army Europe units and the USO, has partnered to safely introduce Soldiers to the European theater. The mission, known as Task Force Willkommen, began in early March led by the 39th Movement Control Battalion.

"The 83rd took over the mission June 15," said Maj. Jayson Cummins, the task force support operations officer. "Task Force Willkommen is a group [set up] to facilitate the in-processing of personnel coming in from CONUS."

Units involved in the collaboration include United States Army Europe, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, 7th Mission Support Command and the 83rd CSSB, to name a few.

"There's also the 1st HRSC, the 30th Medical Brigade, the 21st STB and our partners at the 16th Sustainment Brigade," Cummins said. "It takes a lot of coordination and deconfliction on quantities, amounts and timelines."

Cummins said the process, from the moment a Soldier lands in Germany, takes approximately 14 days until they are safely pushed to their next assignment.

"We identify the Soldiers we are taking into possession, we get their luggage, put them on buses and they are transported over here to Rhine Ordnance Barracks," Cummins said while talking about the Deployment Processing Center located within ROB. "The first night at ROB, they are assigned a PHA or a housing area, and they are hard-quarantined for three days."

One of the first orders of business during the process is a COVID test. Results typically come back in 24 to 48 hours, according to Cummins. When results come back negative, the balance of protecting the force and quality of life kick in, but the restriction on movement remains in effect for the entire duration of the 14-day stay. The Soldiers are not free to leave the DPC, other than to gather comfort items, where they are marched to and from the nearby coffee shop and shoppette.

"It is what you make it," said Pfc. Christopher Williams, DPC resident and Mobile, Alabama native. "The cadre, they listen to you. Things they can do in their power; they will make sure they do it."

The DPC, completely enclosed by fencing, is designed to temporarily house transient service members passing through U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz. It was recently retrofitted for quarantine and in-processing. There are multiple buildings called personnel holding areas, but during unprecedented times there are bound to be issues.

"One of the biggest challenges we faced so far was our first positive case," Cummins said. "The plan that was in place on identifying that Soldier, separating them from their group, doing another test and then transporting that individual to an isolation barracks for another 14 days for observation, but we figured it out."

The goal of TF Willkommen is to provide a safe and isolated environment for Soldiers in between the United States and their final destination.

"The exit strategy for the Soldiers usually occurs about day 12," Cummins said. "They are given another COVID test, and once we identify they have been given a clean bill of health on day 14, they are all separated, put back on buses and sent to their garrisons throughout Germany or Italy."

Task Force Willkommen will remain in effect, indefinitely, providing service in support of United States Army Europe, host nation countries and even the individual.

"I am looking forward to going to my unit," Williams said. "It's going to be a fun experience."

(Army Staff Sgt. Christopher Jackson is assigned to the 221st Public Affairs Detachment)

Wildland Pros Battle Fire Season Despite COVID-19

 Aug. 11, 2020 | BY COURTNEY STRZELCZYK, AIR FORCE

The Air Force Civil Engineer Center's Wildland Fire Branch hasn't let the COVID-19 pandemic stop it from protecting airmen and their families as well as wildlife during this year's severe fire season.

"The Air Force recognizes the growing threat of wildfires to our installations caused by training and testing operations and naturally occurring fires in wildland areas on Air Force property," Jeff Domm, director of AFCEC's Environmental Directorate, said. "Wildfires are expensive to control and can negatively impact sensitive and protected habitat and disrupt mission activity."

Along with the pandemic, some installations have had to cope with the threat of wildfires damaging training areas and shutting down bombing ranges. In an effort to continue its mission, the Wildland Fire program reprioritized its goals for the year and enacted COVID-19 safety protocols for its firefighters to follow, Michelle Steinman, Wildland Fire branch chief said.

"We have prevented COVID-19 from derailing our performance and efforts to support mission activity by utilizing air resources, such as helicopters, to attack wildfires from above and implementing procedures to keep our firefighters healthy so they can keep airmen and their families safe," Steinman said.

For example, Steinman said a contract helicopter crew assisted the Eglin wildland support module in Florida to suppress a May wildfire caused by a downed aircraft at the merging of the two streams providing habitat for the threatened Okaloosa Darter on the Eglin range. The helicopter crew released water bucket drops over the crash site while Eglin bulldozer operators worked on the ground to contain the wildfire to 91 acres with only minor disturbance to the darter.

The Wildland Fire Branch is leveraging technology to mitigate COVID-19 by conducting virtual training sessions and encouraging the firefighters in the wildland support module to practice social distancing, reducing fire vehicle capacity and following CDC guidance. The Avon Park WSM in Florida is following safety protocols in the office as well as at home to maintain a fully staffed crew. So far, the seven-member team has completed 16 prescribed burns across 3,400 acres and managed 12 wildfires across 1,044 acres.

"We have taken every precautionary step to ensure that our crew stays healthy because if one person gets sick, then the whole crew is out, which could stop Air Force missions," Frank Gibbs, team lead for Avon Park WSM, said. "We have been very fortunate to be isolated on a range and keep our firefighters safe so that we can continue to do what we do best."

The Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson WSM in Alaska is also following protocol to remain healthy in case there is a need to protect their local community. Recently, the module teamed up with the JBER Fire Department and a hotshot crew to prevent an intense wildfire from spreading and damaging critical infrastructure.

The fire was ignited from a ricocheted round during military training. Two weeks before the fire, the JBER WSM conducted prescribed burns surrounding the area where the wildfire took place. These burns stopped the progression of the fire and helped the crews contain the wildfire to fewer than five acres. The fire was extinguished in three days, and the crews removed all hazards to prevent reignition.

"We have evacuated thousands of people and that's chaotic," Jon Glover, team lead for JBER WSM, Alaska, said. "This pandemic is just a different type of chaos that we have learned to manage and have adjusted to. Firefighters are problem solvers and we will look at every solution to get the job done safely and effectively."

The Wildland Fire Branch, established in 2012, ensures military mission capability and increases lethality and readiness by reducing the threat of wildfires across 72 installations. The branch includes 14 wildland support modules composed of qualified and equipped personnel who conduct prescribed burns, mechanical fuel reduction and wildfire suppression response at installations within their area of responsibility. Across the U.S., the branch averages 140,000 acres of prescribed fires and responds to more than 100 wildfires.

(Courtney Strzelczyk is assigned to the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center)

Direct to Threat: MPs Practice Active Shooter Drills

 

Story by Spc. Hayden Hallma, 20th Public Affairs Detachment

CAMP HUMPHREYS, Republic of Korea--- The images of people running out of classrooms and movie theaters have plagued the United States in recent decades. Time after time the news shows the smiling faces of the people who were slain in these mass shootings. The Military Police are the security force that protects military personnel and facilities from these types of incidents.

Military Police from the 977th Military Police Company from Fort Riley, Kansas, on rotation supporting the 2nd Infantry Division, conducted Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training, July 28, at the Rodriguez Live Fire Complex.

“We [practiced] making entry into rooms, systematically clearing rooms, direct to threat, and responding to an active shooter call,” said Sgt. 1st Class Lori Singer-Bare, a platoon sergeant with the 977th MP Co. “The purpose of this training is to learn how to shoot, move, and communicate to neutralize and stop the threat with as much force as necessary.”

MPs trained in teams of two to simulate being the first patrol to reach the scene of a shooting. They start the exercise moving through corridors, methodically clearing rooms, and checking on simulated wounded dummies. They practiced restraining assailants and clearing the assailants’ weapons. The team would continue going through these motions until they heard gunfire. Once the gunfire is heard, the pair would rush directly to the sound of the shots to subdue the threat.

Singer-Bare explained that ALERRT is the direct result of the 1999 Columbine shootings and the training has continuously evolved over the past 20 years to what they are training today.

One of the more recent adaptions to ALERRT is once gunfire is heard, while in the building, the law enforcement team would break from systematically clearing room-to-room and movie directly to the threat instead of continuing an in-depth room clearing.

“Once they find a sign or get an overarching stimulus that there is an active shooter,” said 2Lt. Robert Holland, a platoon leader with the 977th MP Company, “they go direct to the threat to neutralize it as quickly as possible.”

The desire to cut the amount of time it took to subdue the shooter was one of the main reasons that contributed to the change in room clearing techniques.

“If we go room-to-room and clear every closet when we hear shooting, the threat is out there longer,” said Holland. “One of the biggest things we learned here is that time saves lives.”

Since time is of the essence, instead of systematically clearing each room, MPs give a cursory glance in the rooms on the way to the shooter as a precaution, this is known as ‘dirty clearing.’

“I personally really like this training,” said Pfc. Adrian Chavez, an MP with the 977th MP Company. “It prepares us for when we are working the road so we know what to do and to not be shaking nervous if we ever get the call to go into a building.”

The 977th MP Company is on a 9-month rotation to the Republic of Korea to train on various law enforcement techniques and to assist 2nd ID to stand ready to fight tonight.

“Our Soldiers are doing exceptionally well, being able to conduct this as a unit in South Korea is phenomenal law enforcement training,” said Holland.

Navigating the Atlantic

 

Sailors on the bridge of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower navigate the ship in the Atlantic Ocean, Aug. 9, 2020. The ship was returning to Naval Station Norfolk after a regularly scheduled deployment in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group has remained underway as a ready strike group during the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Travis Airmen Deliver COVID-19 Aid, Other Supplies to Honduras

 Aug. 10, 2020 | BY Air Force Senior Airman Jonathon Carnell , 60th Air Mobility Wing

Airmen assigned to the 22nd Airlift Squadron at Travis Air Force Base, California, delivered humanitarian aid supplies to Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras.

The July 18 mission was in support of the Denton Program, a Defense Department transportation program that moves humanitarian cargo donated by U.S.-based nongovernmental organizations to developing nations.

The airmen transported 58,000 pounds of cargo in a C-5M Super Galaxy transport jet. The cargo consisted of eight pallets, two vehicles, two excavators and a 40-foot container filled with medical supplies to treat COVID-19 patients.

"A lot of what is on this aircraft will go to COVID-19 response," said Army Lt. Col. Jeffrey Uherka, Joint Task Force Bravo civil military operations director at Soto Cano Air Base,. "The 40-foot container is heading to Intipuca, which is an underserved community."

Uherka said the contents of the container would be able to supply a procedure room, two recovery rooms and a laboratory, all of which are vital in effectively combating COVID-19.

The 12-member crew stopped at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, to pick up the humanitarian cargo for Honduras.

"This was my first humanitarian mission," said Air Force Capt. Heather Denny, 22nd Airlift Squadron pilot and aircraft commander. "It was a different mission for our C-5 crew; we don't typically fly into [U.S. Southern Command's area of responsibility], which made this a great training mission for us."

Before this mission, more than $700,000 of Denton cargo has been delivered to Honduras during fiscal year 2020.

"Having this be my first humanitarian experience was very eye-opening and very surreal because of the impact it may bring to people who I don't know," flight engineer Air Force Staff Sgt. Byle Williams IIsaid.

Williams also noted that  the humanitarian mission was an example of the Air Force's global reach.

"Giving help, giving aid and knowing that Travis Air Force Base is the one that provided the opportunity to do that for individuals shows how big our footprint is locally and abroad," Williams continued.

Transporting aid bolsters relationships with partners in Central America and Joint Task Force Bravo has been executing that mission for 38 years, Uherka said. Additionally, according to Uherka, the humanitarian aid has the potential to reach tens of thousands of people in Honduras communities.

"This couldn't be done without Travis," Uherka said. "We very much appreciate the support of Travis and the United States Air Force for our mission."

82nd Airborne Division Conducts Realistic Training Despite COVID-19

Aug. 10, 2020 | BY Army Staff Sgt. Sharon Matthias

The Army's 82nd Airborne Division is employing COVID-19 measures while still conducting realistic training for its paratroopers.

The division's Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion hosted a fire-team training exercise July 16 near West McKeithan Pond on Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Army commanders use exercises in combat-environment training areas to evaluate the capabilities of their weapons and their paratroopers.

Army Capt. Samuel Rolofson, a military intelligence officer, was the officer in charge of the training.

''This training was unique because many of our mitigation measures for COVID-19 are in effect,'' he said. ''We are using unique strategies within the COVID restriction guidelines mandated by [Forces Command].''

To prevent excessive heat exposure injuries, soldiers rest and cool off without using cooling tents, which only recycle air and create a confined space, Rolofson said.

Rolofson controlled range operations from the training area's tower. On the ground, Army Capt. Maitiu Laman, Headquarters Support Company commander, observed the teams' communication techniques and their weapons function while they moved toward the objective.

For Rolofson and Laman, their mission was clear. They were focused on improving any complexities the trainers may foresee while reinforcing, sustaining  and expanding the paratroopers' marksmanship skills to ready them for war.

''Earlier today, we started with a dry run,''  said Army Sgt. Christian Smith, a fire team leader. ''It was a little choppy as we worked out the mechanics, but as we progressed, we saw a significant improvement throughout the entire exercise. I believe our team definitely got some great training out of it today.''

The firing range at West McKeithan Pond was triple-layered. It was designed to provide forested, desert and urban fighting areas to challenge the soldiers with real-life combat scenarios.

''The range is unique to the paratroopers,'' Rolofson said. ''It has a right and left side maneuverer, with realistic environments that were relatively new to them.''

Army Lt. Col Todd Sunday, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion commander, and battalion chaplain Mike Basie visited the range, talked with the paratroopers, served them chow and recognized them for their work during the training.

''When the [battalion chaplain] came to me, we talked about the training and techniques I can use to improve my marksmanship fundamentals,'' said Army Pvt. Edward Wiggins, an intelligence analyst. ''It was pretty cool.''

(Army Staff Sgt. Sharon Matthias is assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division.)

Department of Defense Offers an Expanded Child Care Service Through Military OneSource

 

Aug. 10, 2020

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The Department of Defense is providing an additional way for military parents to find child care solutions for hourly care. Military OneSource will expand its offerings through a national online service that enables families to find, hire, and pay for care.

The new offering provides access to a monthly subscription service with a secure, searchable network of care providers. The subscription, provided at no cost to eligible military families, offers a user-friendly way to explore providers who can assist with hourly, flexible and on-demand child care services. Families can find out more and access the service through MilitaryOneSource.mil or call Military OneSource at 800-342-9647 to speak with a consultant who can support their search.

“We are committed to taking care of our service members and military families, and understand that families may need assistance with their hourly care needs,” said Kim Joiner, deputy assistant secretary of defense for military community and family policy. “This new service provides a flexible way that empowers modern military families to find child care services that best meet their hourly care needs.”

“Child care is a workforce issue that directly impacts the readiness and retention of the Total Force,” said Carolyn Stevens, director of the Office of Military Family Readiness Policy. “This new service provides another opportunity for the department to support our military families.” 

About Military Community and Family Policy 

Military Community and Family Policy is directly responsible for establishing quality-of-life policies and programs that help our guardians of country, their families and survivors be well and mission-ready. Military OneSource is the gateway to programs and services that support the everyday needs of the 5.2 million service members and immediate family members of the military community. These Department of Defense services can be accessed 24/7/365 around the world.

Search and Rescue

 

Airmen conduct a simulated search and rescue mission during training in Caldwell, Idaho, Aug. 7, 2020.