By Samantha L. Quigley
Jan. 8, 2007 – The National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve is looking for a few good employers to recognize this year. The committee, in conjunction with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, announced today that it has begun accepting nominations for the 2007 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Awards. The nomination process will conclude Feb. 28.
Founded in 1972, ESGR's mission is to gain and maintain active support from public and private employers for the men and women of the National Guard and reserves. It also is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program showcasing ways Americans are supporting the nation's servicemembers.
"I am encouraging all National Guardsmen and reservists worldwide and their family members to visit the ESGR Web site ... to nominate their employers for the 2007 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award," Bob Hollingsworth, ESGR executive director, said. "This prestigious national award recognizes supportive employers who provide exemplarily support above the (federal law) requirements for their employees who serve in the National Guard and reserve."
More than 1,000 nominations were received for the 2006 awards, Air Force Reserve Maj. Robert Palmer, the national committee's chief of strategic communications, said. Officials hope to receive 5,000 nominations this year, which is still a relatively small number, considering estimates that more than 200,000 American employers employ National Guardsmen and reservists.
The 2007 recipients will be honored in Washington, D.C., at the 12th annual Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award ceremony on Sept. 12.
Defense Secretary William Perry instituted the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award in 1996 under the auspices of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. The award, the highest in a series of Defense Department employer awards, publicly recognizes employers for exceptional support of their reserve-component employees above the federal requirements.
National Guardsmen, reservists or their family members can nominate an employer by completing the 2007 Freedom Award nomination form on the ESGR Web site. ESGR field committees will review the nominations and have the option to present three nominations per committee for review by the National Selection Board, which will select up to 15 recipients.
The nominees forwarded by the 56 field committees to the National Committee will fall into one of three categories; large employer, small employer and public sector -- or government -- employers, Palmer said. "We try to have a balanced representation (among those categories)," he added.
Previous recipients have included Starbucks, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Sears, General Electric, DuPont, Verizon, and United Parcel Service. State and local governments and a number of America's small businesses, who are the majority of National Guard and reserve employers, have also been recipients.
"The whole concept is that (the Freedom Award) rewards employers who go above and beyond, so it's not just complying with the law but the steps (employers) go beyond to really show Guardsmen and reservists that they are behind their service 100 percent," Palmer said. "We've seen examples of sending care packages, maintaining contact with the deployed member's families, maintaining contact with the deployed member, any type of activity that would indicate that that employee is still in the hearts and minds of the employer.
"By nominating their employers for Patriot Awards, Above and Beyond Awards, and the Freedom Award, employees are sending their employer a strong message of appreciation," he said.
Article sponsored by police and military personnel who have authored books; and, criminal justice leadership.
Monday, January 08, 2007
NYPD leads LAPD, 77 to 47
Editors Note: At least one of the authors is prior military.
January 8, 2007 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com added ten Los Angeles Police Department police officers who have written books. This brings the LAPD total to 47 authors whereas NYPD leads police agencies world-wide with 77 authors.
This round of writers leads off with three “tell-all” police writers. First, a look at LAPD domestic spying in “L.A. Secret Police: Inside the LAPD Elite Spy Network.” The work is co-written by Michael Rothmiller, a former detective inside the LAPD Organized Crime Intelligence Division.
In LAPD’s “Rouge Cops: Cover up and the Cookie Jar,” Vince Carter, a 25-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, separates fact from fiction in a look at one of America’s most celebrated, and publicized, police departments. Vincent A. Carter and his Uncle Herb Carter, between them, patrolled the streets of Los Angeles for nearly fifty years. In these memoirs Sergeant Carter describes the birth and early years of a political/financial/newspaper syndicate which ruled Los Angeles with dictatorial power from the late 1880s until recent times.
The author of C.U.B.O. (Conduct Unbecoming an Officer), Don Lucier, enlisted in the United States Army after high school. He served in Vietnam as an infantryman. He was a Los Angeles Police Officer from 1970 to 1980.
Robert Houghton began his career in law enforcement in 1937 when be joined the Beverly Hills Police Department. In 1942, he joined the Los Angeles Police Department, rising to the rank of Chief of Detectives. His book, “Special Unit Senator,” tells the story of the LAPD’s investigation into the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.
Editors Note: The editor’s father was the first Los Angeles Police Officer on scene at the Ambassador Hotel.
Pierce R. Brooks began his police career in 1959, as a beat cop in Los Angeles. Twenty years later he retired as a captain with the reputation as one of the best detectives in the United States. After the Los Angeles Police Department, Chief Brooks served as the Director of Public Safety in Lakewood, Colorado. Brooks gained famed as the detective in Joseph Wambaugh’s book, “The Onion Field,” a true story of a brutal police killing. An acknowledged expert on police survival, he has conducted many seminars and lectures through the country. Brooks firm belief that most police killings could have been avoided motivated him to write, “…officer down, code three.”
Chief William L. Williams worked his way up from rookie patrolman at age twenty in 1964 to become commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department in 1988. In 1992, William Williams became the fiftieth chief of the Los Angeles Police Department and the first African-American chief of the department. According to the Library Journal, “That Los Angeles police chief Williams is upbeat shines through everything he has to say about his four years' tenure in L.A., his service before that in Philadelphia, and the country's prospects for fighting urban crime. Only a hopeful, positive, and competent person would sign on for a police department and a city wracked by the Rodney King trial riots and the exodus of elected officials from the city. Even as Williams was uplifting and retraining his demoralized police and giving the public renewed confidence in them, his department has faced a whole series of new traumas: the second King trial and its threat of riot; the Reginald Denny trial; the earthquake; the Michael Jackson child molestation probe; the Heidi Fleiss prostitution case; and the O.J. Simpson trial.”
While Police-Writers.com focuses on the 239 police officers (representing over 70 police departments) and their 622 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees; and, international police officers who have written books.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Corruption, incompetence and gritty fiction
Editors Note: Two of the four are prior military.
January 7, 2007 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com continued to add to the listing of state and local police officers who have authored books. Added were BJ Bourg, Charles Stoker, Tom Lange and Phillip Vannatter.
BJ Bourg began his law enforcement career in 1990 with the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office in Louisiana. He worked dispatch while attending the academy and, upon graduation was assigned to patrol. He worked patrol for about two years; and, in February of 1993, was promoted to detective. BJ worked as a detective for over ten years. He was promoted to sergeant and in 2003, became a full-time instructor at the police academy. In 2004, became the Chief Investigator for the Lafourche Parish District Attorney’s Office. He still teaches at the police academy. He began to take his life-long passion for writing seriously in 2003. Since that time, he has published nearly 100 short stories in publications like Future’s Mystery Magazine, Mysterical-E, Bewildering Stories, Apollo’s Lyre, Writer’s Post Journal, Amazon Shorts, and Chippewa Publishing. Additionally, his short stories appear in four books, “Absent the Soul” (a collection of my first twelve shorts), “The EX Factor” (a multi-authored anthology), “Stories of Strength” (a multi-authored anthology, the proceeds of which benefit victims of hurricane Katrina and other disasters), and “Seven By Seven” (a multi-authored anthology).
Former Los Angeles Police Department police officer Charles Stoker blasted 1940s corruption in the LAPD. In 1951, Charles Stoker published “Thicker’n Thieves.” According to the book cover, “where corrupt police officers, venal politicians and office-holders claimed to have been fighting the underworld, Stocker fought it personally, furiously and with everything at his command to the point where he was framed and fired for “CONDUCT UNBECOMING A POLICE OFFICER” because he testified to the fact before the 1949 Los Angeles Grand Jury. Aside from being a cold steel account of what transpired during his tenure as an officer, this is the highly human story of young Texan, Stoker.” Stoker’s 1951 bombshell is now a 2006 collectable, selling for as much as $500.
“Evidence Dismissed” is “the inside story of the police investigation of O.J. Simpson.” The authors, Detective Tom Lange and Detective Phillip Vannatter, were the lead detectives during the infamous case. Detective Tom Lange joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1967 after earning a Bronze Star in Vietnam as a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps. In nearly 29 years with the LAPD, he was awarded more than 60 commendations from various law enforcement agencies. During his career, he was involved in more than 250 murder investigations. He retired in 1996. His partner, Phillip Vannatter, entered the Los Angeles Police Department in 1969 after serving on the United States Army Peacekeeping force in Korea. In 27 years with the LAPD he investigated more than 250 homicides, and became a court expert in highly sensitive officer-involved shootings and homicides. Throughout his career, he received more than 60 commendations from law enforcement and over 200 from civilians. He retired in 1996.
While Police-Writers.com hosts 229 police officers (representing over 70 police departments) and their 611 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors and international police officers who have written books.
January 7, 2007 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com continued to add to the listing of state and local police officers who have authored books. Added were BJ Bourg, Charles Stoker, Tom Lange and Phillip Vannatter.
BJ Bourg began his law enforcement career in 1990 with the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office in Louisiana. He worked dispatch while attending the academy and, upon graduation was assigned to patrol. He worked patrol for about two years; and, in February of 1993, was promoted to detective. BJ worked as a detective for over ten years. He was promoted to sergeant and in 2003, became a full-time instructor at the police academy. In 2004, became the Chief Investigator for the Lafourche Parish District Attorney’s Office. He still teaches at the police academy. He began to take his life-long passion for writing seriously in 2003. Since that time, he has published nearly 100 short stories in publications like Future’s Mystery Magazine, Mysterical-E, Bewildering Stories, Apollo’s Lyre, Writer’s Post Journal, Amazon Shorts, and Chippewa Publishing. Additionally, his short stories appear in four books, “Absent the Soul” (a collection of my first twelve shorts), “The EX Factor” (a multi-authored anthology), “Stories of Strength” (a multi-authored anthology, the proceeds of which benefit victims of hurricane Katrina and other disasters), and “Seven By Seven” (a multi-authored anthology).
Former Los Angeles Police Department police officer Charles Stoker blasted 1940s corruption in the LAPD. In 1951, Charles Stoker published “Thicker’n Thieves.” According to the book cover, “where corrupt police officers, venal politicians and office-holders claimed to have been fighting the underworld, Stocker fought it personally, furiously and with everything at his command to the point where he was framed and fired for “CONDUCT UNBECOMING A POLICE OFFICER” because he testified to the fact before the 1949 Los Angeles Grand Jury. Aside from being a cold steel account of what transpired during his tenure as an officer, this is the highly human story of young Texan, Stoker.” Stoker’s 1951 bombshell is now a 2006 collectable, selling for as much as $500.
“Evidence Dismissed” is “the inside story of the police investigation of O.J. Simpson.” The authors, Detective Tom Lange and Detective Phillip Vannatter, were the lead detectives during the infamous case. Detective Tom Lange joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1967 after earning a Bronze Star in Vietnam as a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps. In nearly 29 years with the LAPD, he was awarded more than 60 commendations from various law enforcement agencies. During his career, he was involved in more than 250 murder investigations. He retired in 1996. His partner, Phillip Vannatter, entered the Los Angeles Police Department in 1969 after serving on the United States Army Peacekeeping force in Korea. In 27 years with the LAPD he investigated more than 250 homicides, and became a court expert in highly sensitive officer-involved shootings and homicides. Throughout his career, he received more than 60 commendations from law enforcement and over 200 from civilians. He retired in 1996.
While Police-Writers.com hosts 229 police officers (representing over 70 police departments) and their 611 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors and international police officers who have written books.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Pushing past 600
Editors Note: Three of the four are former U.S. Military.
With the addition of four new authors, Police-Writers.com, a website dedicated to police officers turned authors, reached 225 state and local police officers who have written books; and, pushed the total number of books written by those officers to 606.
Retired NYPD Captain Tom Walker’s Fort Apache, Bronx, NY was written during the early 1970's. According to one reviewer, “Fort Apache captures in vivid detail what it was like to work in the then busiest and deadliest precinct in New York. Walker describes the neighborhood and the cops who police it with uncanny accuracy. You will ride along with him to shootings, stabbings, muggings, and homicides. Walker captures the frustration and the dedication of the cops assigned to the 41st as they race from call to call in the seemingly endless parade of crime. A must read for those who enjoy true police stories.” Walker followed up years later with “Death of a Bronx Cop,” a true story about survival and love in the face of tragedy by a fourth-generation New York city police officer. In this book, Walker writes: "In the days, months and years to come, more New York City police will die. The official cause of death will be listed as suicide, heart attack, even homicide. In truth, the death certificate should read 'Organizational Murder--N.Y.C.P.D.'"
The author of 7 books, Bob Weir is a New York Police Department sergeant, with over ten years of undercover investigations and over 500 felony arrests to his credit. His first book, “City To Die For” chronicles the attempted takeover of Dallas, Texas by the Mafia in the 1940's. Bob also wrote, “Powers That Be,” a story of government collusion with organized crime, and “Ruthie's Kids,” his account of growing up poor in NYC; as well as three other powerful novels.
B. J. Whalen is a father and son writing team. The son, Bernard Whalen, is a lieutenant in the New York Police Department with more than eighteen years of service. During his career he has worked in New York City's Harlem, East Side, and Chinatown and in the plainclothes Anti-Crime Unit. He has sixteen department recognition awards, including two Commendations, and is a member of the NYPD Honor Legion.
His father, Jon Whalen, retired as a teacher from Manhasset High School on Long Island after thirty years in the classroom. While attending college, he worked as a New York State corrections officer at Sing Sing and Auburn prisons. He served four years in the U.S. Army 3rd Armored Cav. Regt. in Germany. Together, the father and son teamed pen their first novel, “Justifiable Homicide.”
Leo Whittlesey published his first novel entitled, End of Tour. The book is a fast-paced, suspense-filled tale of a New York mob kid, Frank Horan, turned cop who finds himself trapped in a massive corruption scheme and the main suspect in multiple murders. Frank is forced to use his mob connections and street smarts to extricate himself from the morass that his life has become at the hands of gangsters, cops and his own poor judgment. Leo lives in Charlotte, NC with his wife and two sons. He is an attorney and has also been a New York City police officer and small business owner.
While Police-Writers.com hosts 225 police officers (representing over 70 police departments) and their 606 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors and international police officers who have written books.
With the addition of four new authors, Police-Writers.com, a website dedicated to police officers turned authors, reached 225 state and local police officers who have written books; and, pushed the total number of books written by those officers to 606.
Retired NYPD Captain Tom Walker’s Fort Apache, Bronx, NY was written during the early 1970's. According to one reviewer, “Fort Apache captures in vivid detail what it was like to work in the then busiest and deadliest precinct in New York. Walker describes the neighborhood and the cops who police it with uncanny accuracy. You will ride along with him to shootings, stabbings, muggings, and homicides. Walker captures the frustration and the dedication of the cops assigned to the 41st as they race from call to call in the seemingly endless parade of crime. A must read for those who enjoy true police stories.” Walker followed up years later with “Death of a Bronx Cop,” a true story about survival and love in the face of tragedy by a fourth-generation New York city police officer. In this book, Walker writes: "In the days, months and years to come, more New York City police will die. The official cause of death will be listed as suicide, heart attack, even homicide. In truth, the death certificate should read 'Organizational Murder--N.Y.C.P.D.'"
The author of 7 books, Bob Weir is a New York Police Department sergeant, with over ten years of undercover investigations and over 500 felony arrests to his credit. His first book, “City To Die For” chronicles the attempted takeover of Dallas, Texas by the Mafia in the 1940's. Bob also wrote, “Powers That Be,” a story of government collusion with organized crime, and “Ruthie's Kids,” his account of growing up poor in NYC; as well as three other powerful novels.
B. J. Whalen is a father and son writing team. The son, Bernard Whalen, is a lieutenant in the New York Police Department with more than eighteen years of service. During his career he has worked in New York City's Harlem, East Side, and Chinatown and in the plainclothes Anti-Crime Unit. He has sixteen department recognition awards, including two Commendations, and is a member of the NYPD Honor Legion.
His father, Jon Whalen, retired as a teacher from Manhasset High School on Long Island after thirty years in the classroom. While attending college, he worked as a New York State corrections officer at Sing Sing and Auburn prisons. He served four years in the U.S. Army 3rd Armored Cav. Regt. in Germany. Together, the father and son teamed pen their first novel, “Justifiable Homicide.”
Leo Whittlesey published his first novel entitled, End of Tour. The book is a fast-paced, suspense-filled tale of a New York mob kid, Frank Horan, turned cop who finds himself trapped in a massive corruption scheme and the main suspect in multiple murders. Frank is forced to use his mob connections and street smarts to extricate himself from the morass that his life has become at the hands of gangsters, cops and his own poor judgment. Leo lives in Charlotte, NC with his wife and two sons. He is an attorney and has also been a New York City police officer and small business owner.
While Police-Writers.com hosts 225 police officers (representing over 70 police departments) and their 606 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors and international police officers who have written books.
Medical Team Examines, Treats Nearly 1,500 African Patients
By By Tech. Sgt. Devin L. Fisher, USAF
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 5, 2007 – U.S. troops in Rwanda and Botswana recently built bridges between the U.S. military and the African people by providing vital medical services to almost 1,500 needy patients. The troops took part in a U.S. European Command Medical Civilian Assistance Program exercise, one of several events that are a part of the U.S. EUCOM's Security Cooperation Division's Humanitarian and Civic Assistance Program. MEDCAPs are designed to provide medical and dental outreach to local civilian populations within the command's 92-nation area of operation.
Air Force Capt. Christie Barton, an optometrist with the 435th Aeromedical Squadron based on Ramstein Air Base, Germany, recalled the gratification she and the other four members of her medical team experienced as they treated 1,469 patients early last month.
In one case, a withdrawn elderly man entered the makeshift optometry clinic tent in Rwanda, hunched over nearly crawling so he could see the ground and avoid any obstacles on his way to the exam chair. But he walked out standing tall with a grin from ear to ear.
"It was like he was a different person," said Barton. She recalled the strong pair of spectacles weren't attractive and barely fit, but "his simple smile said it all."
To this day, Barton said she's still not sure if the patients or the providers gain more from the experience.
The Humanitarian and Civic Assistance Program provides the funding that enables the military medical teams to offer free basic medical and dental care for villagers. U.S. Embassy staffs select the locations and inform the villagers of the event. By interacting with foreign military forces and exposing local civilian populations to positive contacts with U.S. military members, the United States hopes to strengthen counter-terrorism capabilities.
Winning the "hearts and minds" of the locals with these MEDCAPs is part of European Command's ongoing Theater Security Cooperation strategy, officials here explain.
The goal of this MEDCAP was to familiarize the Rwanda and Botswana militaries with the programs, procedures and concepts for managing U.S. military preventive medical practices and deployed medical operations, said Air Force Lt. Col. Vince Gill from the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Surgeon General's Office, who served as the team lead.
The team conducted medical exchange seminars at the Kanombe military hospital in Kigali, Rwanda, inside a tent at the Returnee Camp on the Tanzanian border, and at the Sir Seretse Khama Barracks in Gaborone, Botswana.
The dental topics included expeditionary dentistry, soft tissue injuries, diseases of the mouth, oral hygiene and pediatric dentistry, while optometry topics focused on expeditionary optometry, causes of blindness and eye diseases. Additional seminars discussed medical operations planning, infection control, field sanitation and hygiene, triage, patient evacuation and self aid and buddy care.
"The next step is conducting interoperability clinics with the host-nation medical personnel to demonstrate implementation of the topics covered during the seminars," Gill said. The dental services are limited primarily to exams, extractions, simple surgical procedures, treatment for oral infections and oral hygiene education. Optometry services include exams, treatment for infections and eyeglasses, if required.
"The missions were very productive and valuable for us," Gill said. "We saw many cases of disease typically only seen in books."
(Tech. Sgt. Devin L. Fisher is assigned to U.S. European Command Public Affairs.)
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and personnel from the ranks of the military and police service who have become writers.
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 5, 2007 – U.S. troops in Rwanda and Botswana recently built bridges between the U.S. military and the African people by providing vital medical services to almost 1,500 needy patients. The troops took part in a U.S. European Command Medical Civilian Assistance Program exercise, one of several events that are a part of the U.S. EUCOM's Security Cooperation Division's Humanitarian and Civic Assistance Program. MEDCAPs are designed to provide medical and dental outreach to local civilian populations within the command's 92-nation area of operation.
Air Force Capt. Christie Barton, an optometrist with the 435th Aeromedical Squadron based on Ramstein Air Base, Germany, recalled the gratification she and the other four members of her medical team experienced as they treated 1,469 patients early last month.
In one case, a withdrawn elderly man entered the makeshift optometry clinic tent in Rwanda, hunched over nearly crawling so he could see the ground and avoid any obstacles on his way to the exam chair. But he walked out standing tall with a grin from ear to ear.
"It was like he was a different person," said Barton. She recalled the strong pair of spectacles weren't attractive and barely fit, but "his simple smile said it all."
To this day, Barton said she's still not sure if the patients or the providers gain more from the experience.
The Humanitarian and Civic Assistance Program provides the funding that enables the military medical teams to offer free basic medical and dental care for villagers. U.S. Embassy staffs select the locations and inform the villagers of the event. By interacting with foreign military forces and exposing local civilian populations to positive contacts with U.S. military members, the United States hopes to strengthen counter-terrorism capabilities.
Winning the "hearts and minds" of the locals with these MEDCAPs is part of European Command's ongoing Theater Security Cooperation strategy, officials here explain.
The goal of this MEDCAP was to familiarize the Rwanda and Botswana militaries with the programs, procedures and concepts for managing U.S. military preventive medical practices and deployed medical operations, said Air Force Lt. Col. Vince Gill from the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Surgeon General's Office, who served as the team lead.
The team conducted medical exchange seminars at the Kanombe military hospital in Kigali, Rwanda, inside a tent at the Returnee Camp on the Tanzanian border, and at the Sir Seretse Khama Barracks in Gaborone, Botswana.
The dental topics included expeditionary dentistry, soft tissue injuries, diseases of the mouth, oral hygiene and pediatric dentistry, while optometry topics focused on expeditionary optometry, causes of blindness and eye diseases. Additional seminars discussed medical operations planning, infection control, field sanitation and hygiene, triage, patient evacuation and self aid and buddy care.
"The next step is conducting interoperability clinics with the host-nation medical personnel to demonstrate implementation of the topics covered during the seminars," Gill said. The dental services are limited primarily to exams, extractions, simple surgical procedures, treatment for oral infections and oral hygiene education. Optometry services include exams, treatment for infections and eyeglasses, if required.
"The missions were very productive and valuable for us," Gill said. "We saw many cases of disease typically only seen in books."
(Tech. Sgt. Devin L. Fisher is assigned to U.S. European Command Public Affairs.)
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and personnel from the ranks of the military and police service who have become writers.
Bush Names Retired Admiral as Director of National Intelligence
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 5, 2007 – President Bush today named retired Navy Vice Adm. J. Michael McConnell as the director of national intelligence to succeed John Negroponte. Bush also nominated Negroponte, who has held the post for almost two years, to become deputy secretary of the State Department.
McConnell will bring solid "experience, intellect and character" to the DNI position, Bush said. He cited McConnell's service as director of the National Security Agency from 1992 to 1996 and as the chief intelligence advisor to Gen. Colin Powell, then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during Operation Desert Storm.
"Admiral McConnell has decades of experience ensuring that our military forces had the intelligence they need to fight and win wars," the president said. He also noted McConnell's proven ability to work with Congress and the White House.
Bush said this experience will be critical for the important position he has called on McConnell to fill. As DNI, he will be responsible for determining the national intelligence budget, overseeing the collection and analysis of intelligence information, ensuring that intelligence agencies share information with each other and creating common standards for intelligence community personnel.
Negroponte, a career federal service officer returning to the State Department, praised the state of U.S. intelligence and said he's confident McConnell will continue building on improvements already under way. The U.S. intelligence community "has embraced the challenge of functioning as a single, unified enterprise, and reaffirmed the fact that it is the best intelligence community in the world -- second to none," Negroponte said.
McConnell said he's honored for the opportunity to lead the intelligence community and recognizes the importance of providing "the right information to the right decision maker in the right time and format."
"Unlike just a decade ago, the threats of today and the future are moving at increasing speeds and across organizational and geographic boundaries," he said. "This will require increased coordinated responsiveness by our community of intelligence professionals."
McConnell said he hopes to continue improving processes "to provide the needed information for tactical, operational and strategic decision making."
The president praised Negroponte for his service as the nation's first DNI and the first U.S. ambassador to a free Iraq and called him "a superb choice" for the No. 2 State Department post.
"I'm confident the United States Senate will also see the value of these two serving in crucial positions, and I would hope that they would be confirmed as quickly as possible," Bush said.
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and personnel from the ranks of the military and police service who have become writers.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 5, 2007 – President Bush today named retired Navy Vice Adm. J. Michael McConnell as the director of national intelligence to succeed John Negroponte. Bush also nominated Negroponte, who has held the post for almost two years, to become deputy secretary of the State Department.
McConnell will bring solid "experience, intellect and character" to the DNI position, Bush said. He cited McConnell's service as director of the National Security Agency from 1992 to 1996 and as the chief intelligence advisor to Gen. Colin Powell, then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during Operation Desert Storm.
"Admiral McConnell has decades of experience ensuring that our military forces had the intelligence they need to fight and win wars," the president said. He also noted McConnell's proven ability to work with Congress and the White House.
Bush said this experience will be critical for the important position he has called on McConnell to fill. As DNI, he will be responsible for determining the national intelligence budget, overseeing the collection and analysis of intelligence information, ensuring that intelligence agencies share information with each other and creating common standards for intelligence community personnel.
Negroponte, a career federal service officer returning to the State Department, praised the state of U.S. intelligence and said he's confident McConnell will continue building on improvements already under way. The U.S. intelligence community "has embraced the challenge of functioning as a single, unified enterprise, and reaffirmed the fact that it is the best intelligence community in the world -- second to none," Negroponte said.
McConnell said he's honored for the opportunity to lead the intelligence community and recognizes the importance of providing "the right information to the right decision maker in the right time and format."
"Unlike just a decade ago, the threats of today and the future are moving at increasing speeds and across organizational and geographic boundaries," he said. "This will require increased coordinated responsiveness by our community of intelligence professionals."
McConnell said he hopes to continue improving processes "to provide the needed information for tactical, operational and strategic decision making."
The president praised Negroponte for his service as the nation's first DNI and the first U.S. ambassador to a free Iraq and called him "a superb choice" for the No. 2 State Department post.
"I'm confident the United States Senate will also see the value of these two serving in crucial positions, and I would hope that they would be confirmed as quickly as possible," Bush said.
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and personnel from the ranks of the military and police service who have become writers.
Friday, January 05, 2007
National Guard Rescues People, Cattle After Severe Storms
By Sgt. Jim Greenhill, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 5, 2007 – National Guard troops in eight states rescued people and hauled hay to livestock following a severe end-of-year winter storm that stretched from America's northern to southern borders. At least 13 people in five states died in the storm. Hundreds of Guard members in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Washington - sometimes assisted by other states - spent their holiday season rescuing stranded motorists, carrying medical supplies and restoring power. In Colorado, Kansas and New Mexico, Guard members dropped hay from helicopters to starving cattle.
"That responsibility is one of our primary missions, and we have always responded," Air Force Maj. Gen. Mason Whitney, Colorado's adjutant general, told American Forces Information Service. "That's the strength of the National Guard. We are the forward-deployed forces in communities across America for the homeland defense and emergency response mission."
In Colorado, vehicles stranded by a pre-Christmas snowstorm that dumped 30 inches in the mountains and nine inches on the plains rendered Interstate 25 impassable, and Guardmembers helped state troopers clear the road. Drivers were stranded on I-25, US-52 and I-70. Hundreds of miles of interstates were closed. About 60 Colorado National Guard members rescued dozens of stranded motorists after the most powerful snowstorm in almost four years.
"They're telling me it's zero visibility," Whitney said. "They'll kind of bump into something, and it'll turn out to be a car with people in it."
The Guard conducted search-and-rescue missions, provided emergency medical transport and carried supplies to Red Cross shelters.
Citizen-soldiers and -airmen took food and water to thousands of travelers trapped at Denver International Airport, closed more than two days by the storm.
Five days after the Colorado Guard stood down from that first storm, it swung into action again before the severe blizzard conditions of Dec. 28 and 29. The Guard's joint forces headquarters issued a warning order as the second storm approached.
Colorado Guard leaders anticipated that the new storm centered on Denver and Colorado Springs on top of previously accumulated snow could again threaten lives and further disrupt travel. Even before assistance was requested, the Colorado Guard prepared dozens of high-ground-clearance vehicles and aviation assets to aid local emergency responders. Some 166 Guard members stayed overnight at armories to be in position ahead of time.
Challenges included snowfall that varied from seven to 30 inches and was blown by 70 mph wind gusts, forming drifts up to six feet high across roads. Hundreds of motorists were stranded, including tour bus passengers rescued by the Guard on US-287 in Prowers County. Roads, including intersates, were again closed. The same storm moved down to New Mexico and then on to the Texas Panhandle.
Guard members took food, water, blankets and cots to shelters that ran low on supplies. People were trapped in their homes. Power was cut off. The domino effect of disrupted transportation corridors caused grocery stores across the Rocky Mountain states to run short of food for days. Gov. Bill Owens declared an emergency.
More than 126 Colorado Guard members patrolled on the ground and in the air to rescue stranded motorists, provided medical aid to five people and medical transport and distributed medicine, baby formula and other critical supplies to isolated areas along the state's Front Range.
"It's amazing to see how people work so well together under stressful conditions," Capt. Jason Stuchlik, 2nd Battalion, 157th Field Artillery, told The Pueblo Chief. Previously, Stuchlik's unit was part of the National Guard's historic response to Hurricane Katrina.
"We are seeing another extreme, from hot to cold," he said. "The Katrina effort has made us more prepared for this situation."
Guard members rescued 134 people, recovered four emergency response vehicles and eight private vehicles.
They conducted medical resupply missions and, backed by Guard members and air assets from Oklahoma and Wyoming, dropped hundreds of bales of hay to some of an estimated 345,000 cattle stranded by 10-foot snowdrifts and facing starvation. In 1997, 30,000 cattle died in a Colorado snowstorm.
"You can tell immediately where they are," Whitney told CBS News. "You'll see a bunch of dark spots clustered together in a sea of white."
Guard helicopters also dropped Meals Ready to Eat outside remote homes.
"It's the middle of nowhere," Sgt. 1st Class Steve Segin told CBS News. "You lose the power, you might as well be in 1885. There's no cell phone, no lights, no contact."
Some 114 Army and Air National Guard members assisted at emergency shelters and provided power, supplies and transportation after 15 to 36 inches of snow stranded motorists, emergency services and medical personnel in roadside areas in western Kansas.
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius declared a disaster area in 44 counties after the storm that brought 13-foot snowdrifts. More than 60,000 customers were without power for up to a week after about 8,000 transmission poles were downed.
Some 3.7 million head of cattle, worth $3.4 billion, are located in the affected counties, it was reported Jan. 5.
A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter stood by for rescues as Guard members helped with house-to-house welfare checks. Four armories served as shelters. Accumulating snow caused a fire department building to collapse, and the Kansas National Guard provided an armory for emergency responders. A Black Hawk dropped hay to snow- and ice-bound cattle.
Kansas and Colorado agreed to support lifesaving cross-border operations. About seven Nebraska National Guard members helped utility workers restore power to about 35,000 people left without power for up to a week after the storm downed an estimated 38 major transmission lines in central Nebraska. An OH-58 Kiowa helicopter and a Black Hawk helped power officials assess damage.
Western and north-central Nebraska faced freezing rain, heavy snow and strong winds. Some trees had a three-inch layer of ice. About 20 members of the New Mexico National Guard used a dozen high-wheeled vehicles and helicopters to provide emergency medical assistance and rescue stranded motorists, hunters and residents of remote areas.
The record-setting storm turned the desert white and canceled flights. This occurred after a year that had already seen New Mexico Guard members patrolling the border with Mexico as part of Operation Jump Start and providing potable water and equipment to drought-stricken communities, in addition to overseas missions and continued counter-drug activity.
A Black Hawk helicopter crew rescued a stranded heart transplant patient. Another ferried a bulldozer operator to awaiting equipment so he could help ranchers get to cattle. Guard members also rescued four hunters and pulled people from five stranded vehicles. They provided cots to citizens in three cities.
Gov. Bill Richardson ordered more National Guard Black Hawks to check on residents' welfare and drop hay.
"We're taking this extraordinary step to assist our farmers and ranchers as they struggle to save their livestock and dig out from the incredible snowfall," Richardson told the Albuquerque Journal. More than 15 inches of snow fell on Albuquerque, an arid desert city.
The New Mexico National Guard also surveyed damage and delivered infant supplies to numerous homes, the governor's office reported. An Oklahoma National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter joined a half-dozen Humvees as about 21 Guard members conducted air drops and search- and-recovery operations in Cimarron County, in the western part of the state, officials reported.
Even as it responded in its own state, the Oklahoma National Guard also sent five members to Colorado to operate a Chinook providing humanitarian and livestock supplies. A Chinook and two Black Hawk helicopters from the Oregon National Guard were joined by a C-130 Hercules aircraft from the Nevada National Guard in a quest to save three climbers missing on Mount Hood.
The plane was equipped with infrared and a zooming camera lens. "This is the only one in the Air Force, so if they want this technology. It's coming from Reno," Master Sgt. Craig Madole, 152nd Intelligence Squadron, Nevada Air National Guard, told the Nevada Appeal. The unit used the same technology during its response to Hurricane Katrina.
"Our hearts are going out to the families right now," Capt. Mike Brabish, Oregon National Guard, told The Seattle Times after one climber's body was found Dec. 17. The search for the other two will resume in the spring, officials said. The Texas National Guard also anticipated the inclement weather, prepositioning about a dozen members at the Amarillo Armory who supported public safety workers in the Texas panhandle.
About 17 Guard members provided generators and other logistics to care centers for elderly people, wastewater treatment plants and other facilities after December windstorms knocked out power.
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and personnel from the ranks of the military and police service who have become writers.
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 5, 2007 – National Guard troops in eight states rescued people and hauled hay to livestock following a severe end-of-year winter storm that stretched from America's northern to southern borders. At least 13 people in five states died in the storm. Hundreds of Guard members in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Washington - sometimes assisted by other states - spent their holiday season rescuing stranded motorists, carrying medical supplies and restoring power. In Colorado, Kansas and New Mexico, Guard members dropped hay from helicopters to starving cattle.
"That responsibility is one of our primary missions, and we have always responded," Air Force Maj. Gen. Mason Whitney, Colorado's adjutant general, told American Forces Information Service. "That's the strength of the National Guard. We are the forward-deployed forces in communities across America for the homeland defense and emergency response mission."
In Colorado, vehicles stranded by a pre-Christmas snowstorm that dumped 30 inches in the mountains and nine inches on the plains rendered Interstate 25 impassable, and Guardmembers helped state troopers clear the road. Drivers were stranded on I-25, US-52 and I-70. Hundreds of miles of interstates were closed. About 60 Colorado National Guard members rescued dozens of stranded motorists after the most powerful snowstorm in almost four years.
"They're telling me it's zero visibility," Whitney said. "They'll kind of bump into something, and it'll turn out to be a car with people in it."
The Guard conducted search-and-rescue missions, provided emergency medical transport and carried supplies to Red Cross shelters.
Citizen-soldiers and -airmen took food and water to thousands of travelers trapped at Denver International Airport, closed more than two days by the storm.
Five days after the Colorado Guard stood down from that first storm, it swung into action again before the severe blizzard conditions of Dec. 28 and 29. The Guard's joint forces headquarters issued a warning order as the second storm approached.
Colorado Guard leaders anticipated that the new storm centered on Denver and Colorado Springs on top of previously accumulated snow could again threaten lives and further disrupt travel. Even before assistance was requested, the Colorado Guard prepared dozens of high-ground-clearance vehicles and aviation assets to aid local emergency responders. Some 166 Guard members stayed overnight at armories to be in position ahead of time.
Challenges included snowfall that varied from seven to 30 inches and was blown by 70 mph wind gusts, forming drifts up to six feet high across roads. Hundreds of motorists were stranded, including tour bus passengers rescued by the Guard on US-287 in Prowers County. Roads, including intersates, were again closed. The same storm moved down to New Mexico and then on to the Texas Panhandle.
Guard members took food, water, blankets and cots to shelters that ran low on supplies. People were trapped in their homes. Power was cut off. The domino effect of disrupted transportation corridors caused grocery stores across the Rocky Mountain states to run short of food for days. Gov. Bill Owens declared an emergency.
More than 126 Colorado Guard members patrolled on the ground and in the air to rescue stranded motorists, provided medical aid to five people and medical transport and distributed medicine, baby formula and other critical supplies to isolated areas along the state's Front Range.
"It's amazing to see how people work so well together under stressful conditions," Capt. Jason Stuchlik, 2nd Battalion, 157th Field Artillery, told The Pueblo Chief. Previously, Stuchlik's unit was part of the National Guard's historic response to Hurricane Katrina.
"We are seeing another extreme, from hot to cold," he said. "The Katrina effort has made us more prepared for this situation."
Guard members rescued 134 people, recovered four emergency response vehicles and eight private vehicles.
They conducted medical resupply missions and, backed by Guard members and air assets from Oklahoma and Wyoming, dropped hundreds of bales of hay to some of an estimated 345,000 cattle stranded by 10-foot snowdrifts and facing starvation. In 1997, 30,000 cattle died in a Colorado snowstorm.
"You can tell immediately where they are," Whitney told CBS News. "You'll see a bunch of dark spots clustered together in a sea of white."
Guard helicopters also dropped Meals Ready to Eat outside remote homes.
"It's the middle of nowhere," Sgt. 1st Class Steve Segin told CBS News. "You lose the power, you might as well be in 1885. There's no cell phone, no lights, no contact."
Some 114 Army and Air National Guard members assisted at emergency shelters and provided power, supplies and transportation after 15 to 36 inches of snow stranded motorists, emergency services and medical personnel in roadside areas in western Kansas.
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius declared a disaster area in 44 counties after the storm that brought 13-foot snowdrifts. More than 60,000 customers were without power for up to a week after about 8,000 transmission poles were downed.
Some 3.7 million head of cattle, worth $3.4 billion, are located in the affected counties, it was reported Jan. 5.
A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter stood by for rescues as Guard members helped with house-to-house welfare checks. Four armories served as shelters. Accumulating snow caused a fire department building to collapse, and the Kansas National Guard provided an armory for emergency responders. A Black Hawk dropped hay to snow- and ice-bound cattle.
Kansas and Colorado agreed to support lifesaving cross-border operations. About seven Nebraska National Guard members helped utility workers restore power to about 35,000 people left without power for up to a week after the storm downed an estimated 38 major transmission lines in central Nebraska. An OH-58 Kiowa helicopter and a Black Hawk helped power officials assess damage.
Western and north-central Nebraska faced freezing rain, heavy snow and strong winds. Some trees had a three-inch layer of ice. About 20 members of the New Mexico National Guard used a dozen high-wheeled vehicles and helicopters to provide emergency medical assistance and rescue stranded motorists, hunters and residents of remote areas.
The record-setting storm turned the desert white and canceled flights. This occurred after a year that had already seen New Mexico Guard members patrolling the border with Mexico as part of Operation Jump Start and providing potable water and equipment to drought-stricken communities, in addition to overseas missions and continued counter-drug activity.
A Black Hawk helicopter crew rescued a stranded heart transplant patient. Another ferried a bulldozer operator to awaiting equipment so he could help ranchers get to cattle. Guard members also rescued four hunters and pulled people from five stranded vehicles. They provided cots to citizens in three cities.
Gov. Bill Richardson ordered more National Guard Black Hawks to check on residents' welfare and drop hay.
"We're taking this extraordinary step to assist our farmers and ranchers as they struggle to save their livestock and dig out from the incredible snowfall," Richardson told the Albuquerque Journal. More than 15 inches of snow fell on Albuquerque, an arid desert city.
The New Mexico National Guard also surveyed damage and delivered infant supplies to numerous homes, the governor's office reported. An Oklahoma National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter joined a half-dozen Humvees as about 21 Guard members conducted air drops and search- and-recovery operations in Cimarron County, in the western part of the state, officials reported.
Even as it responded in its own state, the Oklahoma National Guard also sent five members to Colorado to operate a Chinook providing humanitarian and livestock supplies. A Chinook and two Black Hawk helicopters from the Oregon National Guard were joined by a C-130 Hercules aircraft from the Nevada National Guard in a quest to save three climbers missing on Mount Hood.
The plane was equipped with infrared and a zooming camera lens. "This is the only one in the Air Force, so if they want this technology. It's coming from Reno," Master Sgt. Craig Madole, 152nd Intelligence Squadron, Nevada Air National Guard, told the Nevada Appeal. The unit used the same technology during its response to Hurricane Katrina.
"Our hearts are going out to the families right now," Capt. Mike Brabish, Oregon National Guard, told The Seattle Times after one climber's body was found Dec. 17. The search for the other two will resume in the spring, officials said. The Texas National Guard also anticipated the inclement weather, prepositioning about a dozen members at the Amarillo Armory who supported public safety workers in the Texas panhandle.
About 17 Guard members provided generators and other logistics to care centers for elderly people, wastewater treatment plants and other facilities after December windstorms knocked out power.
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and personnel from the ranks of the military and police service who have become writers.
Group's Hearts Go Out to Troops
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 5, 2007 – An Illinois-based troop support group wants servicemembers to know they have America's hearts, literally. "The whole theme around the 'You Have Our Hearts' campaign is about ... showing our love and compassion for the troops overseas," Amy Oxford, founder of SI Yellow Ribbon Campaign, said. "Every year we send over thousands of homemade Valentines from school kids and churches and even families."
The nonprofit group is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program showcasing ways Americans support the nation's servicemembers.
Fresh off of its fourth "Holiday Hugs to Our Heroes" campaign, the group has launched its fourth Valentine's Day project, which it has conducted every year since its March 2003 beginning.
Oxford, her mother, Kathy, and now-6-year-old daughter, Callie, stuff boxes full of homemade heart-shaped valentines sent in from across the country and get them to troops serving overseas.
And, because Valentine's Day is a holiday associated with sweets, of course those boxes also include candy.
"We try to do the heart theme with ... the heart (shaped) suckers and the little boxes of heart chocolates and conversation hearts," Oxford said. "We put a lot of love into those packages."
This year, she started the drive for the Valentine's Day mailings the day after Christmas. She hopes that thousands of Valentines and heart-shaped candy will pour in from across the country by Jan. 22. The seemingly early deadline will allow time to get the packages to the servicemembers as close to the holiday as possible.
Oxford and her small band of cupids also are hoping to receive cash donations to offset the cost of shipping 500 to 800 flat-rate boxes of goodies overseas. That's a hefty sum at $8.10 each.
"We can definitely still use help there," she said. "There's always a standing need for postage."
Oxford said her group does this just to "let (servicemembers) know everybody back here in the good old U.S. hasn't forgotten about them, and we do love them on this Valentine's Day."
Information on how to make donations - goods or cash - can be found on the SI Yellow Ribbon Campaign Web site.
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and personnel from the ranks of the military and police service who have become writers.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 5, 2007 – An Illinois-based troop support group wants servicemembers to know they have America's hearts, literally. "The whole theme around the 'You Have Our Hearts' campaign is about ... showing our love and compassion for the troops overseas," Amy Oxford, founder of SI Yellow Ribbon Campaign, said. "Every year we send over thousands of homemade Valentines from school kids and churches and even families."
The nonprofit group is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program showcasing ways Americans support the nation's servicemembers.
Fresh off of its fourth "Holiday Hugs to Our Heroes" campaign, the group has launched its fourth Valentine's Day project, which it has conducted every year since its March 2003 beginning.
Oxford, her mother, Kathy, and now-6-year-old daughter, Callie, stuff boxes full of homemade heart-shaped valentines sent in from across the country and get them to troops serving overseas.
And, because Valentine's Day is a holiday associated with sweets, of course those boxes also include candy.
"We try to do the heart theme with ... the heart (shaped) suckers and the little boxes of heart chocolates and conversation hearts," Oxford said. "We put a lot of love into those packages."
This year, she started the drive for the Valentine's Day mailings the day after Christmas. She hopes that thousands of Valentines and heart-shaped candy will pour in from across the country by Jan. 22. The seemingly early deadline will allow time to get the packages to the servicemembers as close to the holiday as possible.
Oxford and her small band of cupids also are hoping to receive cash donations to offset the cost of shipping 500 to 800 flat-rate boxes of goodies overseas. That's a hefty sum at $8.10 each.
"We can definitely still use help there," she said. "There's always a standing need for postage."
Oxford said her group does this just to "let (servicemembers) know everybody back here in the good old U.S. hasn't forgotten about them, and we do love them on this Valentine's Day."
Information on how to make donations - goods or cash - can be found on the SI Yellow Ribbon Campaign Web site.
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and personnel from the ranks of the military and police service who have become writers.
New Governance Will Improve Military Health Care System, Official Says
By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 5, 2007 – The new governance plan for the military health care system, which is in its very early stages, will improve the care given to troops and their families in today's joint environment, the Defense Department's top health official said today. The idea behind the new governance plan is to have the separate military services work together even more closely than they do now in the area of health care. This will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the system, Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr., assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said in an interview at the Pentagon.
"Our system does work well now; we have great outcomes in battlefield medicine and in the care of our wounded - the best in history," Winkenwerder said. "But we have a vision, we have a clear set of ideas that things can work even better."
The new governance plan was approved by Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England on Nov. 27, 2006. It calls for joint oversight and leadership of several key functional areas across the health system, such as education and training, medical research, and health care delivery.
Under the new plan, large local markets that serve more than one branch of the military will have a unified authority, Winkenwerder explained. This will allow for better decision making, increased cost effectiveness and shared resources, he said.
The Defense Department will consolidate medical education and training at a new center in San Antonio, and it will also consolidate medical research. Any research that is unique to a specific service will be preserved, Winkenwerder added.
"One of the things that we wanted to do was to not break anything that works well today; we don't think we're going to do that at all," he said.
DoD health care has already consolidated in one area - information technology. Winkenwerder praised the new electronic medical records system, AHLTA, the "Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application," which is used by all services at all military treatment facilities.
"We have the chance to do that kind of thing in other areas, and that's what the new governance plan is about," he said.
The new governance plan will not create a new joint command with one surgeon general, Winkenwerder explained. The services will maintain their separate surgeons general, he said, but major changes in governance will happen across the board.
The new governance system will require a transition process, Winkenwerder said. Details of the plan still need to be worked out, and a transition team will be appointed to map the execution of the plan, which is expected to be complete by 2009.
Key goals of the new plan are to save taxpayer dollars and improve the health care given to troops and their families, Winkenwerder said. He praised the services for their cooperation and compromise in developing the plan, and expressed optimism about the success of the plan.
"Ultimately, all of this needs to be about producing a better product, producing a better result, all in the interest of our servicemembers and their families," he said. "They deserve the best that we can provide them, and that's the goal of all this."
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and personnel from the ranks of the military and police service who have become writers.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 5, 2007 – The new governance plan for the military health care system, which is in its very early stages, will improve the care given to troops and their families in today's joint environment, the Defense Department's top health official said today. The idea behind the new governance plan is to have the separate military services work together even more closely than they do now in the area of health care. This will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the system, Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr., assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said in an interview at the Pentagon.
"Our system does work well now; we have great outcomes in battlefield medicine and in the care of our wounded - the best in history," Winkenwerder said. "But we have a vision, we have a clear set of ideas that things can work even better."
The new governance plan was approved by Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England on Nov. 27, 2006. It calls for joint oversight and leadership of several key functional areas across the health system, such as education and training, medical research, and health care delivery.
Under the new plan, large local markets that serve more than one branch of the military will have a unified authority, Winkenwerder explained. This will allow for better decision making, increased cost effectiveness and shared resources, he said.
The Defense Department will consolidate medical education and training at a new center in San Antonio, and it will also consolidate medical research. Any research that is unique to a specific service will be preserved, Winkenwerder added.
"One of the things that we wanted to do was to not break anything that works well today; we don't think we're going to do that at all," he said.
DoD health care has already consolidated in one area - information technology. Winkenwerder praised the new electronic medical records system, AHLTA, the "Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application," which is used by all services at all military treatment facilities.
"We have the chance to do that kind of thing in other areas, and that's what the new governance plan is about," he said.
The new governance plan will not create a new joint command with one surgeon general, Winkenwerder explained. The services will maintain their separate surgeons general, he said, but major changes in governance will happen across the board.
The new governance system will require a transition process, Winkenwerder said. Details of the plan still need to be worked out, and a transition team will be appointed to map the execution of the plan, which is expected to be complete by 2009.
Key goals of the new plan are to save taxpayer dollars and improve the health care given to troops and their families, Winkenwerder said. He praised the services for their cooperation and compromise in developing the plan, and expressed optimism about the success of the plan.
"Ultimately, all of this needs to be about producing a better product, producing a better result, all in the interest of our servicemembers and their families," he said. "They deserve the best that we can provide them, and that's the goal of all this."
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and personnel from the ranks of the military and police service who have become writers.
Gates Makes Recommendations for Filling Key Military Roles
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 5, 2007 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today announced his recommendations to President Bush for nominations to fill key military leadership and command positions.
Gates recommended that U.S. Navy Adm. William J. "Fox" Fallon, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, succeed U.S. Army Gen. John Abizaid as commander of the U.S. Central Command. Abizaid has commanded CENTCOM since July 7, 2003 and is due to retire this spring.
"In departing Central Command, Gen. John Abizaid will cap what has been one of the most storied military careers in recent memory," Gates said in a press release.
Gates called Fallon the right person to take over from Abizaid.
"A naval flight officer who flew combat missions in Vietnam, Admiral Fallon combines nearly four decades of military experience with fresh perspective to the challenges America faces in the Central Command's area of operations," Gates said. "Fox Fallon is one of the best strategic thinkers in uniform today and his reputation for innovation is without peer." Gates also recommended Army Lt. Gen. David Petraeus to succeed Army Gen. George Casey as commander of Multinational Force Iraq.
He recommended Casey, in turn, for appointment as the new U.S. Army chief of staff, to replace Gen. Peter Schoomaker.
Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld called Schoomaker from retirement in 2003 to serve in the top Army post. Casey served as Schoomaker's vice chief of staff before becoming commander of ground forces in Iraq.
Petreus has served as commander of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, Kan., since Oct. 20, 2005.
Before that, he served three critical missions in Iraq: commanding the 101th Airborne Division, the Multinational Security Transition Command and the NATO Training Mission Iraq.
Petraeus led the 101st Division in Mosul during the first year of Iraqi Freedom. In that role, he "oversaw a multifaceted program that within months established local government, restarted the local economy, and stood up local security forces," Gates noted today.
Petraeus served as the first commander of the Multinational Security Transition Command from June 2004 to September 2005 and commanded the NATO Training Mission Iraq from October 2004 through September 2005.
As he launched and led the coalition's program to train and equip Iraq's army and police, Petraeus has been leading the effort to rewrite the military's doctrine for defeating the insurgency, Gates said.
Casey, who has served as commander of Multinational Force Iraq since July 2004, is the right person to hold the top Army uniformed position, Gates said.
"There is no officer at this time better suited to be Army chief of staff than Gen. George Casey," Gates said. "General Casey knows first hand the capabilities the U.S. Army must have to succeed in the complex and unconventional campaigns of the 21st century."
Gates praised Schoomaker, who has served as the Army chief of staff since, Aug. 1, 2003.
"As a result of General Schoomaker's vision and leadership, the transformation of the Army is well on its way, to the benefit of our soldiers, their families, and the safety of our nation," Gates said. "Every American is in General Schoomaker's debt for his willingness to return to active service and embrace such a daunting assignment at a critical time in our nation's history."
Gates noted the mix of experience, skills, creativity and strategic vision that is essential in key national security positions, and said Casey, Petraeus, and Fallon possess these talents.
"We are engaged in three wars - in Iraq, Afghanistan, and against jihadist terrorism worldwide," Gates said. "As secretary of defense, and as a citizen, I firmly believe that Generals Petraeus and Casey and Admiral Fallon, as individuals and as a team, bring to the challenges that face us, the qualities necessary to be successful in war and to protect the American people."
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and personnel from the ranks of the military and police service who have become writers.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 5, 2007 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today announced his recommendations to President Bush for nominations to fill key military leadership and command positions.
Gates recommended that U.S. Navy Adm. William J. "Fox" Fallon, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, succeed U.S. Army Gen. John Abizaid as commander of the U.S. Central Command. Abizaid has commanded CENTCOM since July 7, 2003 and is due to retire this spring.
"In departing Central Command, Gen. John Abizaid will cap what has been one of the most storied military careers in recent memory," Gates said in a press release.
Gates called Fallon the right person to take over from Abizaid.
"A naval flight officer who flew combat missions in Vietnam, Admiral Fallon combines nearly four decades of military experience with fresh perspective to the challenges America faces in the Central Command's area of operations," Gates said. "Fox Fallon is one of the best strategic thinkers in uniform today and his reputation for innovation is without peer." Gates also recommended Army Lt. Gen. David Petraeus to succeed Army Gen. George Casey as commander of Multinational Force Iraq.
He recommended Casey, in turn, for appointment as the new U.S. Army chief of staff, to replace Gen. Peter Schoomaker.
Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld called Schoomaker from retirement in 2003 to serve in the top Army post. Casey served as Schoomaker's vice chief of staff before becoming commander of ground forces in Iraq.
Petreus has served as commander of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, Kan., since Oct. 20, 2005.
Before that, he served three critical missions in Iraq: commanding the 101th Airborne Division, the Multinational Security Transition Command and the NATO Training Mission Iraq.
Petraeus led the 101st Division in Mosul during the first year of Iraqi Freedom. In that role, he "oversaw a multifaceted program that within months established local government, restarted the local economy, and stood up local security forces," Gates noted today.
Petraeus served as the first commander of the Multinational Security Transition Command from June 2004 to September 2005 and commanded the NATO Training Mission Iraq from October 2004 through September 2005.
As he launched and led the coalition's program to train and equip Iraq's army and police, Petraeus has been leading the effort to rewrite the military's doctrine for defeating the insurgency, Gates said.
Casey, who has served as commander of Multinational Force Iraq since July 2004, is the right person to hold the top Army uniformed position, Gates said.
"There is no officer at this time better suited to be Army chief of staff than Gen. George Casey," Gates said. "General Casey knows first hand the capabilities the U.S. Army must have to succeed in the complex and unconventional campaigns of the 21st century."
Gates praised Schoomaker, who has served as the Army chief of staff since, Aug. 1, 2003.
"As a result of General Schoomaker's vision and leadership, the transformation of the Army is well on its way, to the benefit of our soldiers, their families, and the safety of our nation," Gates said. "Every American is in General Schoomaker's debt for his willingness to return to active service and embrace such a daunting assignment at a critical time in our nation's history."
Gates noted the mix of experience, skills, creativity and strategic vision that is essential in key national security positions, and said Casey, Petraeus, and Fallon possess these talents.
"We are engaged in three wars - in Iraq, Afghanistan, and against jihadist terrorism worldwide," Gates said. "As secretary of defense, and as a citizen, I firmly believe that Generals Petraeus and Casey and Admiral Fallon, as individuals and as a team, bring to the challenges that face us, the qualities necessary to be successful in war and to protect the American people."
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and personnel from the ranks of the military and police service who have become writers.
100 Wounded Troops, Families Walk Road to Recovery
Jan. 4, 2007 – Nearly 100 wounded servicemembers and their families recently returned home with a renewed sense of family, inspiration and hope after attending the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes third annual Road to Recovery Conference. The conference was held in mid-December at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.
The Coalition to Salute America's Heroes is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program showcasing the ways Americans support the nation's servicemembers.
The conference first began in 2004 to provide a meaningful way for individuals, corporations and others to help severely wounded and disabled veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom and their families rebuild their lives. The all-expenses-paid event, which concluded Dec. 17, offered the servicemembers and their families the same support as its predecessors, according to a Coalition to Salue America's Heroes spokesperson.
Those attending enjoyed four days of much-needed rest and relaxation, as well as access to training and counseling in areas relevant to their lives after returning from combat, the spokesperson said.
Speakers included one of the country's foremost experts on post-traumatic stress disorder, a certified sex educator, and a severely Vietnam veteran who delivered an inspiring message on turning a bad experience into something good and making the most of their lives.
As a result of a servicemember's injuries, often times the spouse or loved ones must leave their jobs to become a caretaker. This loss in income, in addition to the added expenses of medication and hospital bills, is a blow to an already modest family income, the spokesperson said.
The conference offered job training and access to some of the nation's top organizations looking to hire veterans, the spokesperson said. These included the Defense Department, State Department, Merrill Lynch, Military Severely Injured Center, Northrop Grumman, General Motors, Bank of America, and Department of Veteran Affairs.
As a result of this training and two-day job fair, the spokesperson said, nearly a dozen troops and family members got job offers.
Additionally, servicemembers and their families were given access to the top resources available from the government, veteran service organizations and the private sector. They were able to voice their thanks or concerns to the people who can make a difference in their lives by participating in a panel discussion with other severely injured servicemembers, VA TRICARE, Marines for Life, Navy Safe Harbor, and the Wounded Warrior Program.
During these sessions the families gained a better understanding of the depth of services available to them, the spokesperson said, and the conference made readily accessible these resources easily accessible, which can easily be overlooked by veterans.
As much as the Road to Recovery is for the servicemembers, it is also for their loved ones. The conference provided group therapy sessions for the children, spouses, and caregivers on coping strategies, financial planning and relationships, sexuality and quality of life. There was also plenty of time for family-bonding and fun, the spokesperson said.
Families visited Walt Disney World, participating in family night events with performance painter Michael Isreal, face painting and special meetings with Disney characters.
The last night of the event, a special banquet and tribute was held to thank those men and women who sacrificed for their country, and to thank others who stepped up to help in their healing process. The coalition presented each attendee with a $500 gift check to buy holiday gifts.
The presentation was part of the second annual gift check program that the coalition implements to ensure wounded veterans and their families have a brighter holiday.
The Florida Chapter of The Einstein Foundation also presented each attending servicemember from Florida with a $10,000 check to show their gratitude "for defending the freedoms that we all hold so dear."
Actor Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band provided entertainment for the evening with a special tribute concert for the servicemembers who, with their families, danced late into the night.
Special recognition was given to those individuals, servicemembers, service organizations and corporations that stepped up in their own ways in 2006 to provide support to these wounded and disabled veterans. The coalition honored GNC, General Motors, Jackson-Hewitt, NAPE Oil and Gas, Shell Motor Oil, and KCI Research and Development with its "Home Front Hero" award for sponsoring the Road to Recovery Conference and Tribute. Sinise, the Military Severely Injured Center and Mychel Watts, a retired Marine and professional photographer, also received the award for their support of the coalition and the nation's servicemembers.
"The Coalition to Salute America's Heroes is extremely honored that our corporate sponsors ... have stepped up with donations to cover the families' expenses," said Ray Clifford, vice president of the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes. "We are already busy planning our 2007 conference and are excited to partner with other corporations looking to show their dedication, commitment and support of those severely wounded men and women that served our country."
Perhaps as important as the knowledge and support servicemembers gained at the Road to Recovery Conference and Tribute, they were allowed the chance to bond with their families and one another. Seeing that there is an enormous network of support from one another, the public and corporations was an incredible step forward in their road to recovery, the spokesperson said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice leadership; and, police and military personnel who have written books.
The Coalition to Salute America's Heroes is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program showcasing the ways Americans support the nation's servicemembers.
The conference first began in 2004 to provide a meaningful way for individuals, corporations and others to help severely wounded and disabled veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom and their families rebuild their lives. The all-expenses-paid event, which concluded Dec. 17, offered the servicemembers and their families the same support as its predecessors, according to a Coalition to Salue America's Heroes spokesperson.
Those attending enjoyed four days of much-needed rest and relaxation, as well as access to training and counseling in areas relevant to their lives after returning from combat, the spokesperson said.
Speakers included one of the country's foremost experts on post-traumatic stress disorder, a certified sex educator, and a severely Vietnam veteran who delivered an inspiring message on turning a bad experience into something good and making the most of their lives.
As a result of a servicemember's injuries, often times the spouse or loved ones must leave their jobs to become a caretaker. This loss in income, in addition to the added expenses of medication and hospital bills, is a blow to an already modest family income, the spokesperson said.
The conference offered job training and access to some of the nation's top organizations looking to hire veterans, the spokesperson said. These included the Defense Department, State Department, Merrill Lynch, Military Severely Injured Center, Northrop Grumman, General Motors, Bank of America, and Department of Veteran Affairs.
As a result of this training and two-day job fair, the spokesperson said, nearly a dozen troops and family members got job offers.
Additionally, servicemembers and their families were given access to the top resources available from the government, veteran service organizations and the private sector. They were able to voice their thanks or concerns to the people who can make a difference in their lives by participating in a panel discussion with other severely injured servicemembers, VA TRICARE, Marines for Life, Navy Safe Harbor, and the Wounded Warrior Program.
During these sessions the families gained a better understanding of the depth of services available to them, the spokesperson said, and the conference made readily accessible these resources easily accessible, which can easily be overlooked by veterans.
As much as the Road to Recovery is for the servicemembers, it is also for their loved ones. The conference provided group therapy sessions for the children, spouses, and caregivers on coping strategies, financial planning and relationships, sexuality and quality of life. There was also plenty of time for family-bonding and fun, the spokesperson said.
Families visited Walt Disney World, participating in family night events with performance painter Michael Isreal, face painting and special meetings with Disney characters.
The last night of the event, a special banquet and tribute was held to thank those men and women who sacrificed for their country, and to thank others who stepped up to help in their healing process. The coalition presented each attendee with a $500 gift check to buy holiday gifts.
The presentation was part of the second annual gift check program that the coalition implements to ensure wounded veterans and their families have a brighter holiday.
The Florida Chapter of The Einstein Foundation also presented each attending servicemember from Florida with a $10,000 check to show their gratitude "for defending the freedoms that we all hold so dear."
Actor Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band provided entertainment for the evening with a special tribute concert for the servicemembers who, with their families, danced late into the night.
Special recognition was given to those individuals, servicemembers, service organizations and corporations that stepped up in their own ways in 2006 to provide support to these wounded and disabled veterans. The coalition honored GNC, General Motors, Jackson-Hewitt, NAPE Oil and Gas, Shell Motor Oil, and KCI Research and Development with its "Home Front Hero" award for sponsoring the Road to Recovery Conference and Tribute. Sinise, the Military Severely Injured Center and Mychel Watts, a retired Marine and professional photographer, also received the award for their support of the coalition and the nation's servicemembers.
"The Coalition to Salute America's Heroes is extremely honored that our corporate sponsors ... have stepped up with donations to cover the families' expenses," said Ray Clifford, vice president of the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes. "We are already busy planning our 2007 conference and are excited to partner with other corporations looking to show their dedication, commitment and support of those severely wounded men and women that served our country."
Perhaps as important as the knowledge and support servicemembers gained at the Road to Recovery Conference and Tribute, they were allowed the chance to bond with their families and one another. Seeing that there is an enormous network of support from one another, the public and corporations was an incredible step forward in their road to recovery, the spokesperson said.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice leadership; and, police and military personnel who have written books.
Air Force Leaders Explore Ways to Conserve Fuel
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 4, 2007 – Air Force leaders are looking at ways to conserve fuel without interfering with mission readiness and ongoing military operations around the world in support of the war on terror. Leaders from all the major Air Force commands met here recently to explore how to reduce fuel consumption through simulation, aircraft training, logistics efficiencies, scheduling, acquisition and technology developments and flying operation, said Col. Anne Dunlap, Air Force Conduct Air, Space and Cyber Operations core team leader at the Pentagon.
As the Department of Defense's greatest fuel consumer, the Air Force must examine every aspect of fuel consumption while maintaining its core competencies and power-projection capabilities, she said.
" The group used Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st century techniques during the event, looking at the Air Force vision for fuels efficiency, goals for air operations and barriers to success to build a game plan for how to best conserve fuel efficiently and effectively.
Dunlap said AFSO 21, which standardizes work practices to eliminate waste, works best when used continually to improve processes.
"Certainly, Air Force fuel conservation awareness must filter down to the lowest organizational level," Dunlap said, "and become part of every airman's daily activities."
All airmen are encouraged to submit their ideas for conserving fuel by email to afa35.casco@pentagon.af.mil, she said..
"The team's vision states it best:aircraft are extremely expensive to operate," Dunlap said. "Fuel is a vital national resource and the Air Force is committed to save every ounce without degrading overall effectiveness or readiness."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice leadership; and, police and military personnel who have written books.
Jan. 4, 2007 – Air Force leaders are looking at ways to conserve fuel without interfering with mission readiness and ongoing military operations around the world in support of the war on terror. Leaders from all the major Air Force commands met here recently to explore how to reduce fuel consumption through simulation, aircraft training, logistics efficiencies, scheduling, acquisition and technology developments and flying operation, said Col. Anne Dunlap, Air Force Conduct Air, Space and Cyber Operations core team leader at the Pentagon.
As the Department of Defense's greatest fuel consumer, the Air Force must examine every aspect of fuel consumption while maintaining its core competencies and power-projection capabilities, she said.
" The group used Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st century techniques during the event, looking at the Air Force vision for fuels efficiency, goals for air operations and barriers to success to build a game plan for how to best conserve fuel efficiently and effectively.
Dunlap said AFSO 21, which standardizes work practices to eliminate waste, works best when used continually to improve processes.
"Certainly, Air Force fuel conservation awareness must filter down to the lowest organizational level," Dunlap said, "and become part of every airman's daily activities."
All airmen are encouraged to submit their ideas for conserving fuel by email to afa35.casco@pentagon.af.mil, she said..
"The team's vision states it best:aircraft are extremely expensive to operate," Dunlap said. "Fuel is a vital national resource and the Air Force is committed to save every ounce without degrading overall effectiveness or readiness."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice leadership; and, police and military personnel who have written books.
NORAD, NORTHCOM Trace Space Junk to Soviet Rocket
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 4, 2007 – That bright flash that fell from space early today over Wyoming wasn't a bird, a plane or a superhero, but a Russian SL-4 rocket body reentering the earth's atmosphere, officials at North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command confirmed today. The spacecraft launch stage came back into our atmosphere over Wyoming through Colorado earlier this morning, Air Force Capt. Elena O'Brien, a NORAD and NORTHCOM spokesperson, told American Forces Press Service.
"This is really not an unusual event; it happens all the time," O'Brien said. "What's unusual is that it happened where people can see it. Because so much of the earth is water, most of it ends up in the ocean."
The 1st Space Control Squadron at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station in Colorado Springs, Colo., tracked the reentry from a Dec. 27 launch, she said. The squadron tracks millions of items orbiting the earth every day.
NORTHCOM and NORAD are still gathering information about the number and exact size of the incoming debris, but O'Brien said it is relatively small because larger pieces usually break up during reentry.
All pieces of the rocket have now reentered the earth's atmosphere, and most of the debris is expected to have fallen in Southwestern Colorado and Northwestern New Mexico, officials said.
They emphasized that no damage has been reported, and the debris is not believed to be hazardous. However, they encourage anyone who believes they may know the location of a piece from this rocket to exercise caution and inform local authorities immediately for potential recovery operations.
The biggest concern, O'Brien said, is that the debris is still hot, because the tremendous friction caused during reentry causes it to heat to thousands of degrees centigrade.
The NORAD-USNORTHCOM Command Center informed the National Guard Bureau and Department of Homeland Security so they are prepared to respond, if necessary.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice leadership; and, police and military personnel who have written books.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 4, 2007 – That bright flash that fell from space early today over Wyoming wasn't a bird, a plane or a superhero, but a Russian SL-4 rocket body reentering the earth's atmosphere, officials at North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command confirmed today. The spacecraft launch stage came back into our atmosphere over Wyoming through Colorado earlier this morning, Air Force Capt. Elena O'Brien, a NORAD and NORTHCOM spokesperson, told American Forces Press Service.
"This is really not an unusual event; it happens all the time," O'Brien said. "What's unusual is that it happened where people can see it. Because so much of the earth is water, most of it ends up in the ocean."
The 1st Space Control Squadron at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station in Colorado Springs, Colo., tracked the reentry from a Dec. 27 launch, she said. The squadron tracks millions of items orbiting the earth every day.
NORTHCOM and NORAD are still gathering information about the number and exact size of the incoming debris, but O'Brien said it is relatively small because larger pieces usually break up during reentry.
All pieces of the rocket have now reentered the earth's atmosphere, and most of the debris is expected to have fallen in Southwestern Colorado and Northwestern New Mexico, officials said.
They emphasized that no damage has been reported, and the debris is not believed to be hazardous. However, they encourage anyone who believes they may know the location of a piece from this rocket to exercise caution and inform local authorities immediately for potential recovery operations.
The biggest concern, O'Brien said, is that the debris is still hot, because the tremendous friction caused during reentry causes it to heat to thousands of degrees centigrade.
The NORAD-USNORTHCOM Command Center informed the National Guard Bureau and Department of Homeland Security so they are prepared to respond, if necessary.
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice leadership; and, police and military personnel who have written books.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Mayaguez Incident Tested President Ford's Mettle
By John J. Kruzel
Jan. 3, 2007 – Nine months into his presidency, on May 12, 1975, Gerald R. Ford was forced to take military action and deal with an international hostage crisis. President Bush recalled "The Mayuaguez Incident" during his eulogy yesterday at Ford's state funeral services held at the Washington National Cathedral here.
"When a U.S. ship called the Mayaguez was seized by Cambodia, President Ford made the tough decision to send in the Marines," President Bush said yesterday in his eulogy at Ford's funeral, "and all the crew members were rescued."
The incident occurred less than two weeks after the fall of Saigon. Naval forces of the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia's communist dictatorship, intercepted the U.S. merchant ship SS Mayaguez off Cambodia's southern coast and captured the roughly 40-man crew.
The seizure occurred in a disputed section of the Gulf of Siam, with the international community recognizing the stretch as a free channel, and Khmer Rouge claiming it as Cambodian territory.
When the Mayaguez was seized, Ford called the act "piracy," and attempted to recover the victims through talks with Cambodia.
"We made diplomatic protests to the Cambodian government through the United Nations," Ford said during a 1976 presidential debate. "Every possible diplomatic means was utilized."
But lacking diplomatic ties between the U.S. and the newly installed Khmer Rouge, Ford's negotiations with the Cambodian combatants failed. He then opted for military intervention.
"I thought it was the right thing to do," Marine Corps Gen. James L. Jones, former Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, said in an interview with the American Forces Press Service. "You can't allow people to attack U.S. flagged ships and get away with it with impunity."
Jones served as a captain in the 3rd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment - one of three Marine regiments dispatched to Koh Tang on the rescue mission - but he had left for Washington on military leave prior to Mayaguez's seizure and was not present during the mission.
"It's a strong naval tradition in the United States that when a ship comes under attack, that you're really attacking the United States," Jones said. "It's tantamount to landing in North Carolina, and there's a visceral response that comes with that."
Ford learned from intelligence reports that the Mayaguez was docked near Koh Tang, an island off the coast of Cambodia. It was believed the crew was being held on the island, and Ford committed to rescuing them.
"I had a responsibility, and so did the National Security Council, to meet the problem at hand," Ford said, referring to his decision to land forces on Koh Tang.
Ford responded by sending 16 Air Force HH-53 helicopters based in Thailand to the beaches of Koh Tang at sunrise on May 15. The frigate USS Henry Holt, serendipitously in the area, would provide support.
The mission was expected to be a rescue operation of low complexity and little combat. But Marine units and helicopter crews dispatched to Koh Tang were unaware the island was heavily defended by Khmer Rouge forces preparing for attacks from their Vietnamese neighbors.
U.S. servicemembers went in expecting 18 to 40 lightly-armed militia fighters, but instead they found a reinforced battalion of elite Khmer Rouge naval infantry.
"The helicopter landing went badly. There was only one landing zone, and that was defended," Jones said. "When they landed they were severely hit; it was a real tenacious firefight. The Air Force helicopters that were assigned were not particularly trained for tactical landings."
The Cambodians shot down three of the first four helicopters that approached the island; one of them carrying the Marine forward air controller team. The fourth helicopter was badly damaged and was forced to abort.
For hours, Air Force A-7 attack aircrafts providing fire support failed to find the Marine units, let alone support them.
After the first wave of HH-53s, a boarding party transferred to the USS Holt by helicopter seized the Mayaguez, only to find the ship deserted. The Cambodians, it turns out, had taken the crew to mainland Cambodia two days earlier.
Perhaps prompted by potential strikes from attack aircraft on the USS Coral Sea, the Khmer Rouge released the Mayaguez's crew, sending them out in a Thai fishing boat. Destroyer USS Henry G. Wilson arrived on scene and took the crew aboard.
News of the crew's recovery prompted politicians in Washington to halt offensive action, much to the chagrin of troops engaged in the operation.
"One of the mistakes that was made in the senior echelons was that once the crew was released, the politicians wanted to stop the landing," Jones said. "So you had half the troops on the ground, another half waiting to go in; it was chaos.
"Somebody should have realized that once you start an amphibious landing you just don't stop it," Jones said. "Once you've committed, you're committed until you actually achieve your objective and then you can have your ceasefire. But you can't say 'Hey, they're out. Everybody leave.'"
In response to frantic lower-echelon pleas, Ford rescinded the order to call off the operation. If the second wave had not landed as planned, the enemy might well have overrun all the remaining Marines on the island. Nevertheless, the Mayaguez Incident did not damage Ford's reputation with troops, Jones said.
"I think the decision to do it was absolutely correct and I think everybody else believed that as well," Jones said. "Marines are employed overseas and the thing they like best is to feel that they're going to be used and they're going to do something meaningful.
"Having gone through the fall of Saigon and watched (it) come down like a house of cards that same year, the opportunity to do something that was positive - to try to free the crew - was something that was motivating for all of us on the ground," Jones said.
"I'm not sure whether the landings motivated the (Khmer Rouge) to free the crew," Jones said. "But the desired outcome took place."
Members of the Mayaguez crew were especially thankful for Ford's commitment to their recovery.
"I got a call from the skipper of the Mayaguez," Ford said, "and he told me that it was the action of me, President Ford, that saved the lives of the crew of the Mayaguez."
"And I can assure you that if we had not taken the strong and forceful action that we did, we would have been criticized very, very severely for sitting back and not moving."
(Background information for this article was obtained from a Spring 2005 Air & Space Power Journal article by retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. John F. Guilmartin Jr.)
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and, police and military personnel who have become authors.
Jan. 3, 2007 – Nine months into his presidency, on May 12, 1975, Gerald R. Ford was forced to take military action and deal with an international hostage crisis. President Bush recalled "The Mayuaguez Incident" during his eulogy yesterday at Ford's state funeral services held at the Washington National Cathedral here.
"When a U.S. ship called the Mayaguez was seized by Cambodia, President Ford made the tough decision to send in the Marines," President Bush said yesterday in his eulogy at Ford's funeral, "and all the crew members were rescued."
The incident occurred less than two weeks after the fall of Saigon. Naval forces of the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia's communist dictatorship, intercepted the U.S. merchant ship SS Mayaguez off Cambodia's southern coast and captured the roughly 40-man crew.
The seizure occurred in a disputed section of the Gulf of Siam, with the international community recognizing the stretch as a free channel, and Khmer Rouge claiming it as Cambodian territory.
When the Mayaguez was seized, Ford called the act "piracy," and attempted to recover the victims through talks with Cambodia.
"We made diplomatic protests to the Cambodian government through the United Nations," Ford said during a 1976 presidential debate. "Every possible diplomatic means was utilized."
But lacking diplomatic ties between the U.S. and the newly installed Khmer Rouge, Ford's negotiations with the Cambodian combatants failed. He then opted for military intervention.
"I thought it was the right thing to do," Marine Corps Gen. James L. Jones, former Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, said in an interview with the American Forces Press Service. "You can't allow people to attack U.S. flagged ships and get away with it with impunity."
Jones served as a captain in the 3rd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment - one of three Marine regiments dispatched to Koh Tang on the rescue mission - but he had left for Washington on military leave prior to Mayaguez's seizure and was not present during the mission.
"It's a strong naval tradition in the United States that when a ship comes under attack, that you're really attacking the United States," Jones said. "It's tantamount to landing in North Carolina, and there's a visceral response that comes with that."
Ford learned from intelligence reports that the Mayaguez was docked near Koh Tang, an island off the coast of Cambodia. It was believed the crew was being held on the island, and Ford committed to rescuing them.
"I had a responsibility, and so did the National Security Council, to meet the problem at hand," Ford said, referring to his decision to land forces on Koh Tang.
Ford responded by sending 16 Air Force HH-53 helicopters based in Thailand to the beaches of Koh Tang at sunrise on May 15. The frigate USS Henry Holt, serendipitously in the area, would provide support.
The mission was expected to be a rescue operation of low complexity and little combat. But Marine units and helicopter crews dispatched to Koh Tang were unaware the island was heavily defended by Khmer Rouge forces preparing for attacks from their Vietnamese neighbors.
U.S. servicemembers went in expecting 18 to 40 lightly-armed militia fighters, but instead they found a reinforced battalion of elite Khmer Rouge naval infantry.
"The helicopter landing went badly. There was only one landing zone, and that was defended," Jones said. "When they landed they were severely hit; it was a real tenacious firefight. The Air Force helicopters that were assigned were not particularly trained for tactical landings."
The Cambodians shot down three of the first four helicopters that approached the island; one of them carrying the Marine forward air controller team. The fourth helicopter was badly damaged and was forced to abort.
For hours, Air Force A-7 attack aircrafts providing fire support failed to find the Marine units, let alone support them.
After the first wave of HH-53s, a boarding party transferred to the USS Holt by helicopter seized the Mayaguez, only to find the ship deserted. The Cambodians, it turns out, had taken the crew to mainland Cambodia two days earlier.
Perhaps prompted by potential strikes from attack aircraft on the USS Coral Sea, the Khmer Rouge released the Mayaguez's crew, sending them out in a Thai fishing boat. Destroyer USS Henry G. Wilson arrived on scene and took the crew aboard.
News of the crew's recovery prompted politicians in Washington to halt offensive action, much to the chagrin of troops engaged in the operation.
"One of the mistakes that was made in the senior echelons was that once the crew was released, the politicians wanted to stop the landing," Jones said. "So you had half the troops on the ground, another half waiting to go in; it was chaos.
"Somebody should have realized that once you start an amphibious landing you just don't stop it," Jones said. "Once you've committed, you're committed until you actually achieve your objective and then you can have your ceasefire. But you can't say 'Hey, they're out. Everybody leave.'"
In response to frantic lower-echelon pleas, Ford rescinded the order to call off the operation. If the second wave had not landed as planned, the enemy might well have overrun all the remaining Marines on the island. Nevertheless, the Mayaguez Incident did not damage Ford's reputation with troops, Jones said.
"I think the decision to do it was absolutely correct and I think everybody else believed that as well," Jones said. "Marines are employed overseas and the thing they like best is to feel that they're going to be used and they're going to do something meaningful.
"Having gone through the fall of Saigon and watched (it) come down like a house of cards that same year, the opportunity to do something that was positive - to try to free the crew - was something that was motivating for all of us on the ground," Jones said.
"I'm not sure whether the landings motivated the (Khmer Rouge) to free the crew," Jones said. "But the desired outcome took place."
Members of the Mayaguez crew were especially thankful for Ford's commitment to their recovery.
"I got a call from the skipper of the Mayaguez," Ford said, "and he told me that it was the action of me, President Ford, that saved the lives of the crew of the Mayaguez."
"And I can assure you that if we had not taken the strong and forceful action that we did, we would have been criticized very, very severely for sitting back and not moving."
(Background information for this article was obtained from a Spring 2005 Air & Space Power Journal article by retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. John F. Guilmartin Jr.)
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and, police and military personnel who have become authors.
Pennsylvania Vet Receives Brotherly Love
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 3, 2007 – After Army Sgt. Pisey Tan was wounded in Iraq, he depended on others to do wash his clothes and perform his other household tasks. Now, thanks to a member organization of the Defense Department's "America Supports You" program, chores that once were menial duty are now a measure of personal freedom. America Supports You spotlights and facilitates support among private citizens and the nation's corporate sector for the men and women serving in the nation's armed forces.
"Homes for Our Troops," teaming with Philadelphia-based homebuilder The McKee Group, designed and donated a handicapped-accessible home to Tan on Dec. 14.
"I feel like I've got my independence back," Tan said. "I never thought that I would miss doing my laundry, but it feels great to do my own laundry again."
Tan, attached to the 3rd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment, was patrolling Samarra, Iraq on Aug. 6, 2004, when an improvised explosive device detonated under the Bradley fighting vehicle he was driving.
"When I made a U-turn, I thought an IED exploded in front of me," Tan said, "but I didn't realize it had (actually exploded) underneath me.
"I tried stepping on the accelerator, and I could feel me moving my legs, but I didn't know that my legs were blown off," Tan said. "I looked down at the floorplate of the Bradley and I saw a puddle of my own blood down there.
"The only thing that was holding my legs together was the seams of my pants; that was it," Tan said. "When I woke up at the hospital, I just broke down in tears, thinking, 'My whole entire life is ruined.'"
Tan eventually was fitted with computerized prosthetic legs, and underwent rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here.
John Gonsalves, founder of the Taunton Mass.-based Homes for Our Troops, and members of The McKee Group, told Tan while he was recuperating at Walter Reed that he would receive a handicapped-accessible home.
"He was kind of in disbelief," Gonsalves said. "He never imagined anything like this could happen."
Gonsalves was inspired to start Homes for Our Troops when he saw a story like Tan's on the evening news.
"I was watching (an) interview with some soldiers who had come back from Iraq, and they were talking about their convoy that was attacked," Gonsalves said. "One of their buddies was driving a Humvee that got hit with (a rocket-propelled grenade), and when they stopped the convoy to get out and check on him, it was an ambush.
"All they cared about was if their buddy was OK," Gonsalves continued. "When they got him out, they realized that he had lost both his legs in the attack, and that's really what got me to start thinking, 'How can I help in some way?'"
When The McKee Group asked Homes for Our Troops to locate a soldier in the Philadelphia area in need of a handicapped-accessible home, they found Tan, a native of Olney, Pennsylvania.
For Tan, who was unaware that programs designed to support wounded U.S. servicemembers existed, the gift was unbelievable.
"I thought it was a joke or something," Tan said. "I was very excited; it was an emotional rollercoaster."
In fact, it took time to convince Tan.
"I don't think he really believed us," Jennifer McKee, The McKee Group's communications director, said. "We had a regular lunch appointment with him every week just to make sure he knew this was really happening."
The McKee Group took Tan's needs into account when designing the Ridley Township, Pa., home. In addition to the fully stocked refrigerator and furnished living quarters, the homebuilders made the house's interior completely wheelchair accessible, to increase Tan's mobility when not using his prostheses.
"I'm loving it," said Tan, who is now living in his new home. "The main thing is that I'm able to move around with my wheelchair. Plus everything that I need is right here downstairs; I don't even need to go upstairs."
The McKee Group raised enough money to reimburse Homes for Our Troops for the $60,000 cost of the lot, plus an extra $10,000 for the organization's future projects.
"(The McKee Group) got everything done, and we got $10,000 more than we put into it," Gonsalves said. "I never thought that we would go into any project and raise more money by the builder helping us than what we put into it."
The McKee Group is developing a how-to book to help guide other homebuilders who are interested in providing homes to disabled veterans like Tan.
"We really believe that the men and women fighting in our armed forces are giving so much for our country and our freedom, and that it's everybody's job to make sure that they're taken care of," McKee said.
"As a company, we never could have given what Pisey (Tan) did, but we can at least try to make life a little bit easier for him," McKee said. "We can make sure he knows that this country supports him, and we'll try to be there for him."
Tan said the commitment of organizations like Homes for Our Troops and The McKee Group "is truly a blessing."
Tan recalled having conversations in Iraq with his gunner, former Sgt. Timothy J. Brophy, about the level of public support for deployed troops.
"We would wonder if there are even people out there thinking of us," Tan said.
"As time went on, I was introduced to a lot of the programs and to a lot of support," Tan said. "And it basically showed me that life can go on."
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and, police and military personnel who have become authors.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 3, 2007 – After Army Sgt. Pisey Tan was wounded in Iraq, he depended on others to do wash his clothes and perform his other household tasks. Now, thanks to a member organization of the Defense Department's "America Supports You" program, chores that once were menial duty are now a measure of personal freedom. America Supports You spotlights and facilitates support among private citizens and the nation's corporate sector for the men and women serving in the nation's armed forces.
"Homes for Our Troops," teaming with Philadelphia-based homebuilder The McKee Group, designed and donated a handicapped-accessible home to Tan on Dec. 14.
"I feel like I've got my independence back," Tan said. "I never thought that I would miss doing my laundry, but it feels great to do my own laundry again."
Tan, attached to the 3rd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment, was patrolling Samarra, Iraq on Aug. 6, 2004, when an improvised explosive device detonated under the Bradley fighting vehicle he was driving.
"When I made a U-turn, I thought an IED exploded in front of me," Tan said, "but I didn't realize it had (actually exploded) underneath me.
"I tried stepping on the accelerator, and I could feel me moving my legs, but I didn't know that my legs were blown off," Tan said. "I looked down at the floorplate of the Bradley and I saw a puddle of my own blood down there.
"The only thing that was holding my legs together was the seams of my pants; that was it," Tan said. "When I woke up at the hospital, I just broke down in tears, thinking, 'My whole entire life is ruined.'"
Tan eventually was fitted with computerized prosthetic legs, and underwent rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here.
John Gonsalves, founder of the Taunton Mass.-based Homes for Our Troops, and members of The McKee Group, told Tan while he was recuperating at Walter Reed that he would receive a handicapped-accessible home.
"He was kind of in disbelief," Gonsalves said. "He never imagined anything like this could happen."
Gonsalves was inspired to start Homes for Our Troops when he saw a story like Tan's on the evening news.
"I was watching (an) interview with some soldiers who had come back from Iraq, and they were talking about their convoy that was attacked," Gonsalves said. "One of their buddies was driving a Humvee that got hit with (a rocket-propelled grenade), and when they stopped the convoy to get out and check on him, it was an ambush.
"All they cared about was if their buddy was OK," Gonsalves continued. "When they got him out, they realized that he had lost both his legs in the attack, and that's really what got me to start thinking, 'How can I help in some way?'"
When The McKee Group asked Homes for Our Troops to locate a soldier in the Philadelphia area in need of a handicapped-accessible home, they found Tan, a native of Olney, Pennsylvania.
For Tan, who was unaware that programs designed to support wounded U.S. servicemembers existed, the gift was unbelievable.
"I thought it was a joke or something," Tan said. "I was very excited; it was an emotional rollercoaster."
In fact, it took time to convince Tan.
"I don't think he really believed us," Jennifer McKee, The McKee Group's communications director, said. "We had a regular lunch appointment with him every week just to make sure he knew this was really happening."
The McKee Group took Tan's needs into account when designing the Ridley Township, Pa., home. In addition to the fully stocked refrigerator and furnished living quarters, the homebuilders made the house's interior completely wheelchair accessible, to increase Tan's mobility when not using his prostheses.
"I'm loving it," said Tan, who is now living in his new home. "The main thing is that I'm able to move around with my wheelchair. Plus everything that I need is right here downstairs; I don't even need to go upstairs."
The McKee Group raised enough money to reimburse Homes for Our Troops for the $60,000 cost of the lot, plus an extra $10,000 for the organization's future projects.
"(The McKee Group) got everything done, and we got $10,000 more than we put into it," Gonsalves said. "I never thought that we would go into any project and raise more money by the builder helping us than what we put into it."
The McKee Group is developing a how-to book to help guide other homebuilders who are interested in providing homes to disabled veterans like Tan.
"We really believe that the men and women fighting in our armed forces are giving so much for our country and our freedom, and that it's everybody's job to make sure that they're taken care of," McKee said.
"As a company, we never could have given what Pisey (Tan) did, but we can at least try to make life a little bit easier for him," McKee said. "We can make sure he knows that this country supports him, and we'll try to be there for him."
Tan said the commitment of organizations like Homes for Our Troops and The McKee Group "is truly a blessing."
Tan recalled having conversations in Iraq with his gunner, former Sgt. Timothy J. Brophy, about the level of public support for deployed troops.
"We would wonder if there are even people out there thinking of us," Tan said.
"As time went on, I was introduced to a lot of the programs and to a lot of support," Tan said. "And it basically showed me that life can go on."
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and, police and military personnel who have become authors.
Wyoming National Guard Assists Colorado Airlift Mission
By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 3, 2007 – The Wyoming National Guard is deploying an air crew today to airlift hay to livestock stranded by last week's blizzard in Colorado. One C-130H3 was scheduled to take off for Colorado today at 1 p.m. Mountain time to assist in the recovery efforts, said Deidre Forster, public affairs officer for the Wyoming military department. The plane will give more capability to the Colorado National Guard, which has been using helicopters to airlift supplies, she said.
"We can drop a lot more hay with a C-130 than they can drop with a helicopter," Forster said.
The latest storm, which hit Dec. 28, dumped up to 28 inches of snow in some parts of Colorado. It was preceded by a storm Dec. 20 that blanketed the state with more than two feet of snow and closed Denver International Airport for two and a half days.
Eight National Guard helicopters were deployed to deliver food to livestock stranded by the deep snow. The helicopters also dropped military rations outside remote houses, where residents are stranded, and used Humvees and snowmobiles to deliver food, water and medicine to people in need.
The Oklahoma National Guard is also providing an air crew and a CH-47 Chinook helicopter to transport supplies to people and livestock stranded in Colorado.
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and, police and military personnel who have become authors.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 3, 2007 – The Wyoming National Guard is deploying an air crew today to airlift hay to livestock stranded by last week's blizzard in Colorado. One C-130H3 was scheduled to take off for Colorado today at 1 p.m. Mountain time to assist in the recovery efforts, said Deidre Forster, public affairs officer for the Wyoming military department. The plane will give more capability to the Colorado National Guard, which has been using helicopters to airlift supplies, she said.
"We can drop a lot more hay with a C-130 than they can drop with a helicopter," Forster said.
The latest storm, which hit Dec. 28, dumped up to 28 inches of snow in some parts of Colorado. It was preceded by a storm Dec. 20 that blanketed the state with more than two feet of snow and closed Denver International Airport for two and a half days.
Eight National Guard helicopters were deployed to deliver food to livestock stranded by the deep snow. The helicopters also dropped military rations outside remote houses, where residents are stranded, and used Humvees and snowmobiles to deliver food, water and medicine to people in need.
The Oklahoma National Guard is also providing an air crew and a CH-47 Chinook helicopter to transport supplies to people and livestock stranded in Colorado.
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and, police and military personnel who have become authors.
Organization Revs Up Marine's Christmas
By 1st Lt. Lawton King, USMC
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 3, 2007 – The magi here are stirring with envy over the gifts Marine Lance Cpl. Jordan Richards received in an Operation Gratitude care package. "This Dodge Caliber is yours," announced the first document he removed from the package after knifing it open in front of his fellow Marines.
"I was not expecting that whatsoever," the 19-year-old turret gunner from St. Louis said. "It was actually a car!"
"Don't lose it," one of the Marine said.
Richards continued to rifle through the contents of the box and methodically produced autographed hats, a DVD player, a flash drive, batteries, phone cards and scores of letters and notes from the home front.
Richards, a turret gunner with Regimental Combat Team 5's "Team Gator," received the belated Christmas package in the mail Dec. 29. The real present, though, is still awaiting his return to California.
"You have a lot of thank-you notes to write, my friend," another Marine bystander joked.
One of the notes informed him that several other gifts in addition to the automobile would be lavished upon him when he redeploys to the United States. He's expected to redeploy to the State in the spring.
"Wait 'til the fiancee hears about this one," he said.
Operation Gratitude, an organization devoted to promoting the well being of U.S. troops abroad by mailing them care packages, sent Richards their 200,000th package. They celebrated shipping the milestone package by loading it with gifts ranging from a car to tickets to a Los Angeles Lakers basketball game.
Operation Gratitude is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program showcasing ways Americans are supporting the nation's military.
"We're excited for the Marine," Team Gator's 1st Sgt. Mark Massey said. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing."
Massey earlier remarked that the package apparently endured "some trial and tribulations coming over here," though it remained intact and unopened.
The observation seemed apt and layered in meaning. The Marines themselves had returned from a mounted patrol earlier without incurring any casualties.
"It was a cold one, too," Richards said.
After he had emptied the box of all its surprises, Richards expressed his appreciation, which was echoed by Team Gator's leadership, and the Marines.
"These packages make deployments livable," Richards said. "The support is worth more than anything else."
"A young enlisted Marine got something for keeps. That's awesome," Massey said.
Capt. Eric Dominijanni, Team Gator's company commander, acknowledged the impact of the gesture and its effect on the Marines present. "It really means a lot to know that people are thinking about us during the holidays."
Richards' package was one of 56,305 care packages Operation Gratitude sent during its 2006 Holiday Drive that officially began on Veteran's Day weekend and ended December 30th. The volunteers assembled an additional 1500 packages that they expect to send in January and February, as they receive additional requests, an organization representative said.
"This brings our overall tally of packages sent to 209,463 since we started in March of 2003," Charlie Othold, Operation Gratitude's director of operations, said. "We will have no problem hitting the quarter-millionth mark during our Patriotic Drive in the spring!"
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice Leadership; and military and police personnel who have become writers.
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 3, 2007 – The magi here are stirring with envy over the gifts Marine Lance Cpl. Jordan Richards received in an Operation Gratitude care package. "This Dodge Caliber is yours," announced the first document he removed from the package after knifing it open in front of his fellow Marines.
"I was not expecting that whatsoever," the 19-year-old turret gunner from St. Louis said. "It was actually a car!"
"Don't lose it," one of the Marine said.
Richards continued to rifle through the contents of the box and methodically produced autographed hats, a DVD player, a flash drive, batteries, phone cards and scores of letters and notes from the home front.
Richards, a turret gunner with Regimental Combat Team 5's "Team Gator," received the belated Christmas package in the mail Dec. 29. The real present, though, is still awaiting his return to California.
"You have a lot of thank-you notes to write, my friend," another Marine bystander joked.
One of the notes informed him that several other gifts in addition to the automobile would be lavished upon him when he redeploys to the United States. He's expected to redeploy to the State in the spring.
"Wait 'til the fiancee hears about this one," he said.
Operation Gratitude, an organization devoted to promoting the well being of U.S. troops abroad by mailing them care packages, sent Richards their 200,000th package. They celebrated shipping the milestone package by loading it with gifts ranging from a car to tickets to a Los Angeles Lakers basketball game.
Operation Gratitude is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program showcasing ways Americans are supporting the nation's military.
"We're excited for the Marine," Team Gator's 1st Sgt. Mark Massey said. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing."
Massey earlier remarked that the package apparently endured "some trial and tribulations coming over here," though it remained intact and unopened.
The observation seemed apt and layered in meaning. The Marines themselves had returned from a mounted patrol earlier without incurring any casualties.
"It was a cold one, too," Richards said.
After he had emptied the box of all its surprises, Richards expressed his appreciation, which was echoed by Team Gator's leadership, and the Marines.
"These packages make deployments livable," Richards said. "The support is worth more than anything else."
"A young enlisted Marine got something for keeps. That's awesome," Massey said.
Capt. Eric Dominijanni, Team Gator's company commander, acknowledged the impact of the gesture and its effect on the Marines present. "It really means a lot to know that people are thinking about us during the holidays."
Richards' package was one of 56,305 care packages Operation Gratitude sent during its 2006 Holiday Drive that officially began on Veteran's Day weekend and ended December 30th. The volunteers assembled an additional 1500 packages that they expect to send in January and February, as they receive additional requests, an organization representative said.
"This brings our overall tally of packages sent to 209,463 since we started in March of 2003," Charlie Othold, Operation Gratitude's director of operations, said. "We will have no problem hitting the quarter-millionth mark during our Patriotic Drive in the spring!"
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice Leadership; and military and police personnel who have become writers.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Michigan National Guard Band Readies for Ford Funeral
By Sgt. Jeremy Pitcher, USA
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 2, 2007 – With the state funeral for former President Gerald R. Ford moving here tomorrow, members of the 126th Army Band of the Michigan Army National Guard are honing their skills for the historic event. The 126th Army Band is tasked to provide the instrumental music for three ceremonies. For each ceremony, the Ford family has chosen what numbers they would like to have played, and when. The song lists for the events are composed of expected melodies, common at any presidential funeral, along with family favorites meant to remember and honor Ford.
First Sgt. James Zwarensteyn, a member of the 126th for his entire 37-year military career, has played at many events for the former president..
"We played for Ford's 90th birthday, the dedication and rededication of Ford's museum and library," he said. "This is bigger, though. We are all acutely aware of how important these ceremonies are going to be."
The 126th Army Band is made up of of 35 musicians, a director and Zwarensteyn, who serves as the drum major.
"Being a part us this ceremony is a real honor for all of us," he said. "For it to be on a worldwide stage, and for someone so important to this state, (it) is just a tremendous honor for us to be involved."
When not working with the National Guard, Zwarensteyn is a band teacher in his local school district.
(Sgt. Jeremy Pitcher is a member of the Michigan Army National Guard.)
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and, police and military personnel who have become writers.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 2, 2007 – With the state funeral for former President Gerald R. Ford moving here tomorrow, members of the 126th Army Band of the Michigan Army National Guard are honing their skills for the historic event. The 126th Army Band is tasked to provide the instrumental music for three ceremonies. For each ceremony, the Ford family has chosen what numbers they would like to have played, and when. The song lists for the events are composed of expected melodies, common at any presidential funeral, along with family favorites meant to remember and honor Ford.
First Sgt. James Zwarensteyn, a member of the 126th for his entire 37-year military career, has played at many events for the former president..
"We played for Ford's 90th birthday, the dedication and rededication of Ford's museum and library," he said. "This is bigger, though. We are all acutely aware of how important these ceremonies are going to be."
The 126th Army Band is made up of of 35 musicians, a director and Zwarensteyn, who serves as the drum major.
"Being a part us this ceremony is a real honor for all of us," he said. "For it to be on a worldwide stage, and for someone so important to this state, (it) is just a tremendous honor for us to be involved."
When not working with the National Guard, Zwarensteyn is a band teacher in his local school district.
(Sgt. Jeremy Pitcher is a member of the Michigan Army National Guard.)
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and, police and military personnel who have become writers.
Bears Bring New Year's Morale to Troops
By Staff Sgt. Patrick Moes, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 2, 2007 – Football fever took on a new dimension yesterday as Third Army and U.S. Army Central Command troops watched the last game of the NFL regular season, and members of Chicago Bears' 1985 Super Bowl Championship team signed autographs here. Stars for Stripes sponsored the three-day "Ringin' in the New Year" tour with former Bears players Jim McMahon, Kevin Butler, actress Karri Turner and news personality Dave Price.
"It's a big morale booster," said Capt. Anthony Manning, commander of the 863rd Engineer Detachment, and a Chicago native. "The troops are happy. They will talk about this for the next week."
The servicemembers exuded excitement as they waited in line with pictures, footballs, Bears baseball hats and Bears banners.
But then again, the 863rd soldiers are not your average sports fans. They watch every game they can - even the games on at 4 a.m "When you come in the barracks [on a Sunday night] you can hear the soldiers hollering during the Bears' games," said Manning.
Those on the tour also felt the soldiers' exuberance. Visiting 12 camps in three days, the tour wwas a chance for the athletes and other celebrities to meet and see the men and women of the U.S. armed forces.
"These people are serving our country," said Price, weather anchor for CBS News' The Early Show. "We owe our debt of gratitude."
Price added that "if anyone has any doubt about the current state our country is in, they need to spend a week with the men and women [in the Middle East]. Our country is in great hands."
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and, police and military personnel who have become writers.
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 2, 2007 – Football fever took on a new dimension yesterday as Third Army and U.S. Army Central Command troops watched the last game of the NFL regular season, and members of Chicago Bears' 1985 Super Bowl Championship team signed autographs here. Stars for Stripes sponsored the three-day "Ringin' in the New Year" tour with former Bears players Jim McMahon, Kevin Butler, actress Karri Turner and news personality Dave Price.
"It's a big morale booster," said Capt. Anthony Manning, commander of the 863rd Engineer Detachment, and a Chicago native. "The troops are happy. They will talk about this for the next week."
The servicemembers exuded excitement as they waited in line with pictures, footballs, Bears baseball hats and Bears banners.
But then again, the 863rd soldiers are not your average sports fans. They watch every game they can - even the games on at 4 a.m "When you come in the barracks [on a Sunday night] you can hear the soldiers hollering during the Bears' games," said Manning.
Those on the tour also felt the soldiers' exuberance. Visiting 12 camps in three days, the tour wwas a chance for the athletes and other celebrities to meet and see the men and women of the U.S. armed forces.
"These people are serving our country," said Price, weather anchor for CBS News' The Early Show. "We owe our debt of gratitude."
Price added that "if anyone has any doubt about the current state our country is in, they need to spend a week with the men and women [in the Middle East]. Our country is in great hands."
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and, police and military personnel who have become writers.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Cheney Lauds Ford's Service During Ceremony at U.S. Capitol
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 31, 2006 – With military members standing a solemn guard over the flag-draped casket in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, Vice President Richard B. Cheney yesterday evening eulogized former President Gerald R. Ford. By his pardon of Richard M. Nixon, Ford prevented Americans from experiencing more political turmoil from Watergate, Cheney said in his eulogy to the fallen former chief executive.
"It was this man, Gerald R. Ford, who'd led our republic safely through a crisis that could have turned to catastrophe," Cheney said. "We will never know what further unraveling, what greater malevolence, might have come in that time of furies turned loose and hearts turned cold."
America was spared further angst, Cheney said, through Ford's pardoning of Nixon, which occurred not long after Ford had become president in August 1974 after Nixon resigned. Ford was president from 1974 to 1977.
Cheney had served as Ford's chief of staff. Former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld performed his first stint as the Defense Department's top civilian in the Ford administration.
Ford was an astute and honest man who likely sacrificed his chance for election as president in his own right in order to bind the nation's scars, Cheney said. Ford lost to Jimmy Carter during the 1976 presidential election.
"For all the grief that never came, for all the wounds that were never inflicted, the people of the United States will forever stand in debt to the good man and faithful servant we mourn tonight," Cheney said.
Senior military officers including Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Vice Chairman Navy Adm. Edmund Giambastiani, and other members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff listened to Cheney's eulogy and looked on as other servicemembers posted in and around the Rotunda stood guard around Ford's casket. Members of the Navy Band's Sea Chanters chorus sang hymns at the ceremony's opening.
Cheney also praised Betty Ford, the fallen president's widow and former first lady. It was obvious to friends, Cheney said, that Betty Ford was the source of her husband's happiness and sunny outlook.
"All the good that you shared, Betty, all the good that you did together has not gone away. All of that is forever," Cheney said.
Ford healed America during his time in the Oval Office, Cheney said, noting it was now the time to say goodbye to his former boss.
"And so, for now Mr. President, farewell. We will always be thankful for your good life," Cheney said.
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and, police and military personnel who have become writers.
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 31, 2006 – With military members standing a solemn guard over the flag-draped casket in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, Vice President Richard B. Cheney yesterday evening eulogized former President Gerald R. Ford. By his pardon of Richard M. Nixon, Ford prevented Americans from experiencing more political turmoil from Watergate, Cheney said in his eulogy to the fallen former chief executive.
"It was this man, Gerald R. Ford, who'd led our republic safely through a crisis that could have turned to catastrophe," Cheney said. "We will never know what further unraveling, what greater malevolence, might have come in that time of furies turned loose and hearts turned cold."
America was spared further angst, Cheney said, through Ford's pardoning of Nixon, which occurred not long after Ford had become president in August 1974 after Nixon resigned. Ford was president from 1974 to 1977.
Cheney had served as Ford's chief of staff. Former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld performed his first stint as the Defense Department's top civilian in the Ford administration.
Ford was an astute and honest man who likely sacrificed his chance for election as president in his own right in order to bind the nation's scars, Cheney said. Ford lost to Jimmy Carter during the 1976 presidential election.
"For all the grief that never came, for all the wounds that were never inflicted, the people of the United States will forever stand in debt to the good man and faithful servant we mourn tonight," Cheney said.
Senior military officers including Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Vice Chairman Navy Adm. Edmund Giambastiani, and other members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff listened to Cheney's eulogy and looked on as other servicemembers posted in and around the Rotunda stood guard around Ford's casket. Members of the Navy Band's Sea Chanters chorus sang hymns at the ceremony's opening.
Cheney also praised Betty Ford, the fallen president's widow and former first lady. It was obvious to friends, Cheney said, that Betty Ford was the source of her husband's happiness and sunny outlook.
"All the good that you shared, Betty, all the good that you did together has not gone away. All of that is forever," Cheney said.
Ford healed America during his time in the Oval Office, Cheney said, noting it was now the time to say goodbye to his former boss.
"And so, for now Mr. President, farewell. We will always be thankful for your good life," Cheney said.
Article sponsored by criminal justice leadership; and, police and military personnel who have become writers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
