By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
July 25, 2007 - The Defense Department is offering $1 million to the person who invents a way for servicemembers to take a load off. During a conference call with Internet "bloggers" today, William Rees, deputy undersecretary of defense for laboratories and basic sciences, explained the department's "wearable power" competition announced earlier this month.
Currently, an individual servicemember on the ground in Iraq or Afghanistan carries roughly 40 pounds of batteries to provide four days' worth of power. The department's goal, he explained, is to lower the load to less than 9 pounds.
The essential electronic equipment that dismounted warfighters carry today -- radios, night-vision devices, global positioning systems -- runs on batteries. This competition will gather and test good ideas for reducing the weight of batteries that servicemembers carry.
"We are setting the bar high," Rees told the bloggers. "We don't think it's unrealistically high, but we acknowledge it's a challenge."
To spur private citizens, companies or international organizations into designing a light, wearable electric power system for warfighters, the department is offering $1 million for first place, $500,000 for second place and $250,000 for third place in the competition.
Prizes will be awarded to the top three teams in a final competitive demonstration, planned for fall 2008. At this "wear-off," individuals or teams will demonstrate their prototype systems under realistic conditions, Defense Department officials said.
The top three competitors that demonstrate a complete, wearable system that produces 20 watts average power for 96 hours but weighs less than 4 kilograms will win the prizes.
"The mantra is four days, 4 kilograms," Rees said during an interview earlier this month.
Information about the technical details, contest rules and qualification requirements is posted on the Defense Department Web site. A forum to be held in Washington in September will review these details for potential competitors.
Competitors must register to participate in the prize program by Nov. 30. The competition is open for international participation; however the individual or team leader must provide proof of U.S. citizenship. Details on the forum, as well as contest registration and rules, are posted on the Defense Research and Engineering Prize Web site, www.dod.mil/ddre/prize.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Medical Personnel Bring Comfort to Nicaragua
American Forces Press Service
July 24, 2007 - Medical personnel aboard the USNS Comfort hospital ship are providing free medical assistance to thousands of people in Nicaragua. The Comfort sailed out of Norfolk, Va., June 15 on a four-month humanitarian assistance deployment to more than a dozen countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Before arriving in Nicaragua, personnel aboard the ship provided medical care to more than 55,000 patients in Belize, Guatemala and Panama.
"This deployment provides an opportunity for us to work together with countries in the region to make a lasting contribution across our hemisphere," Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis, commander of U.S. Southern Command, said before the ship departed. "Comfort's mission will reach far beyond the patients we will see each day."
The ship's medical treatment facility is staffed by about 500 medical personnel, covering a wide variety of medical fields and areas of expertise. In addition to Navy personnel, the staff includes members from other military services, other government agencies and even non-government organizations.
One such organization is "Operation Smile," whose members are providing medical care to children from Nicaragua with facial deformities, primarily cleft lips and palates. About 25 volunteers from Operation Smile will complete 35 surgeries by tomorrow in Nicaragua. They started working in that country July 19.
"We have a whole team of nurses, anesthesiologists, plastic surgeons, dentists, orthodontists, a speech therapist, a nutritionist and a psychologist, because it is all connected," said Lily Montealegre, president of the board for Operation Smile in Nicaragua. "Once the operation is done, we do follow-up, and that is what the local Nicaraguan mission also takes care of."
Operation Comfort and the Navy began working together during a mission aboard the USNS Mercy in Bangladesh. The "positive experience" during that mission led to the organization's continued collaboration with the Navy, said Linda Highfield, a registered nurse and clinical coordinator for Operation Smile aboard Comfort.
"I think it just goes to show, both with Operation Smile and everyone helping this mission, how we feel about the people around the world," said Highfield. "We want to be helpful, and that is why we are here."
Dr. Arash Babaoff, the Operation Smile pediatrician aboard Comfort, said the partnership with the military is working out very well.
"I can't think of a better alliance than working with the U.S. Navy, or any of the forces, for that matter," said Babaoff. "I really hope we get more opportunities to work together in other countries. I have been personally so impressed by what I have seen here and what we are doing. I always knew that our military was helping people in other places, but to really see this firsthand, for me, has been a really great experience."
In addition to the work done by Operation Comfort in Nicaragua, the ship's personnel are providing thousands of people with various other health care services. One of three locations the Comfort team is serving is the Quince de Julio Health Care Center, lying at the foot of the San Cristobal Volcano in the rural area of Chinandega.
Medical doctors and personnel from the U.S. Navy, Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Public Health Service and volunteers from Project Hope and Operation Smile were operating a full medical clinic within moments of arrival. The services provided at Quince de Julio included adult and pediatric primary care, dentistry, optometry, immunizations, and prescription services. Navy Seabees from Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 202 also made repairs to the site.
"We're putting a footprint here and hopefully someday they'll remember the U.S. was here," said Cmdr. Linda Nash, Comfort's director of nursing services. "We were able to administer health care to the people and take care of ongoing health problems that they hadn't been able to take care of before.
"By helping these people and training them by practicing with other professionals, they'll carry that knowledge and that relationship with them for many years and always remember it," Nash said. "Hopefully that's what we are doing here in Nicaragua is establishing some long-term relationships."
Children from the Montica Berio Education Center supported Comfort's mission by providing translation assistance to the medical personnel so they could better understand each patient's needs.
"We are helping our community by translating for the doctors and patients," said Ana Villanueva, a Nicaraguan translator. "I feel great about being here working with the U.S. to help with translating generally because we think that it pleases our heart to do something good."
Comfort is spending three days at la Rancheria Clinic and is also providing care at the Jose Schendal Hospital in Corinto and Health Care Center Realejo in Chinandega.
During the mission in Nicaragua, surgeons aboard the removed an extra toe from a five-year-old Nicaraguan boy on July 21.
Darwin Padilla, was born with the extra toe, which prevented him from wearing shoes or attending school. His mother, Paula Padilla, said she heard about Comfort's humanitarian mission three days before service members and civilians from Comfort started seeing patients at Jose Schendal Health Center in Corinto, Nicaragua, and had a friend put her son's name on the list to be seen.
Padilla said they traveled for two hours by bus from the town of Somotillo along the Nicaraguan border to reach the hospital where Darwin was evaluated by medical staff and flown by helicopter to Comfort for surgery.
Padilla was very impressed when she came aboard Comfort.
"I like the ship, but what I like most about it is the people," Padilla said. "They are loving and caring. It's good to know that there are people that care about other countries and are willing to help."
Lt. Cmdr. Eric Shirley, the pediatric orthopedic surgeon aboard Comfort, operated on Darwin and said the surgery went well and Darwin should be able to function normally from now on.
"He'll have no problems running or wearing normal shoes. He's going to do very well when he gets back, though I'll have to put him in a cast for the first couple of weeks to keep him out of trouble," Shirley said.
Comfort's mission is part of U.S. Southern Command's Partnership for the Americas initiative, an on-going training and readiness operation designed to strengthen regional partnerships and improve multinational interoperability. The ship is also scheduled to visit Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Haiti, Nicaragua, Peru, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago before completing its voyage in September.
(Compiled from reports by U.S. Navy Seaman Jeff Hall, Petty Officer 2nd Class Joshua Karsten and Petty Officer 2nd Class Brandon Shelander, USNS Comfort Public Affairs.)
July 24, 2007 - Medical personnel aboard the USNS Comfort hospital ship are providing free medical assistance to thousands of people in Nicaragua. The Comfort sailed out of Norfolk, Va., June 15 on a four-month humanitarian assistance deployment to more than a dozen countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Before arriving in Nicaragua, personnel aboard the ship provided medical care to more than 55,000 patients in Belize, Guatemala and Panama.
"This deployment provides an opportunity for us to work together with countries in the region to make a lasting contribution across our hemisphere," Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis, commander of U.S. Southern Command, said before the ship departed. "Comfort's mission will reach far beyond the patients we will see each day."
The ship's medical treatment facility is staffed by about 500 medical personnel, covering a wide variety of medical fields and areas of expertise. In addition to Navy personnel, the staff includes members from other military services, other government agencies and even non-government organizations.
One such organization is "Operation Smile," whose members are providing medical care to children from Nicaragua with facial deformities, primarily cleft lips and palates. About 25 volunteers from Operation Smile will complete 35 surgeries by tomorrow in Nicaragua. They started working in that country July 19.
"We have a whole team of nurses, anesthesiologists, plastic surgeons, dentists, orthodontists, a speech therapist, a nutritionist and a psychologist, because it is all connected," said Lily Montealegre, president of the board for Operation Smile in Nicaragua. "Once the operation is done, we do follow-up, and that is what the local Nicaraguan mission also takes care of."
Operation Comfort and the Navy began working together during a mission aboard the USNS Mercy in Bangladesh. The "positive experience" during that mission led to the organization's continued collaboration with the Navy, said Linda Highfield, a registered nurse and clinical coordinator for Operation Smile aboard Comfort.
"I think it just goes to show, both with Operation Smile and everyone helping this mission, how we feel about the people around the world," said Highfield. "We want to be helpful, and that is why we are here."
Dr. Arash Babaoff, the Operation Smile pediatrician aboard Comfort, said the partnership with the military is working out very well.
"I can't think of a better alliance than working with the U.S. Navy, or any of the forces, for that matter," said Babaoff. "I really hope we get more opportunities to work together in other countries. I have been personally so impressed by what I have seen here and what we are doing. I always knew that our military was helping people in other places, but to really see this firsthand, for me, has been a really great experience."
In addition to the work done by Operation Comfort in Nicaragua, the ship's personnel are providing thousands of people with various other health care services. One of three locations the Comfort team is serving is the Quince de Julio Health Care Center, lying at the foot of the San Cristobal Volcano in the rural area of Chinandega.
Medical doctors and personnel from the U.S. Navy, Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Public Health Service and volunteers from Project Hope and Operation Smile were operating a full medical clinic within moments of arrival. The services provided at Quince de Julio included adult and pediatric primary care, dentistry, optometry, immunizations, and prescription services. Navy Seabees from Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 202 also made repairs to the site.
"We're putting a footprint here and hopefully someday they'll remember the U.S. was here," said Cmdr. Linda Nash, Comfort's director of nursing services. "We were able to administer health care to the people and take care of ongoing health problems that they hadn't been able to take care of before.
"By helping these people and training them by practicing with other professionals, they'll carry that knowledge and that relationship with them for many years and always remember it," Nash said. "Hopefully that's what we are doing here in Nicaragua is establishing some long-term relationships."
Children from the Montica Berio Education Center supported Comfort's mission by providing translation assistance to the medical personnel so they could better understand each patient's needs.
"We are helping our community by translating for the doctors and patients," said Ana Villanueva, a Nicaraguan translator. "I feel great about being here working with the U.S. to help with translating generally because we think that it pleases our heart to do something good."
Comfort is spending three days at la Rancheria Clinic and is also providing care at the Jose Schendal Hospital in Corinto and Health Care Center Realejo in Chinandega.
During the mission in Nicaragua, surgeons aboard the removed an extra toe from a five-year-old Nicaraguan boy on July 21.
Darwin Padilla, was born with the extra toe, which prevented him from wearing shoes or attending school. His mother, Paula Padilla, said she heard about Comfort's humanitarian mission three days before service members and civilians from Comfort started seeing patients at Jose Schendal Health Center in Corinto, Nicaragua, and had a friend put her son's name on the list to be seen.
Padilla said they traveled for two hours by bus from the town of Somotillo along the Nicaraguan border to reach the hospital where Darwin was evaluated by medical staff and flown by helicopter to Comfort for surgery.
Padilla was very impressed when she came aboard Comfort.
"I like the ship, but what I like most about it is the people," Padilla said. "They are loving and caring. It's good to know that there are people that care about other countries and are willing to help."
Lt. Cmdr. Eric Shirley, the pediatric orthopedic surgeon aboard Comfort, operated on Darwin and said the surgery went well and Darwin should be able to function normally from now on.
"He'll have no problems running or wearing normal shoes. He's going to do very well when he gets back, though I'll have to put him in a cast for the first couple of weeks to keep him out of trouble," Shirley said.
Comfort's mission is part of U.S. Southern Command's Partnership for the Americas initiative, an on-going training and readiness operation designed to strengthen regional partnerships and improve multinational interoperability. The ship is also scheduled to visit Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Haiti, Nicaragua, Peru, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago before completing its voyage in September.
(Compiled from reports by U.S. Navy Seaman Jeff Hall, Petty Officer 2nd Class Joshua Karsten and Petty Officer 2nd Class Brandon Shelander, USNS Comfort Public Affairs.)
Bush: Defeating al Qaeda in Iraq Key to Defeating al Qaeda Worldwide
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
July 24, 2007 - Defeating al Qaeda in Iraq is critical to defeating the larger al Qaeda terrorist network, and the United States won't stop short of that goal, President Bush said today at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C. Bush told airmen and their families at the base that some people call Iraq a distraction from the war on terror and argue that al Qaeda in Iraq is unrelated to Osama bin Laden's larger al Qaeda network.
"That would be news to Osama bin Laden," the president said. "He's proclaimed that the third world war is raging in Iraq."
Nearly six years since al Qaeda launched the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, Iraq has become a key theater in the global war on terror, the president said. Troops fighting there are opposing ruthless enemies, "and no enemy is more ruthless in Iraq than al Qaeda."
As its members work to bring down Iraq's democracy and create a terrorist safe haven, al Qaeda in Iraq's leaders are trying to trick their Iraqi followers into thinking they're serving fellow Iraqis, Bush said.
In fact, the Qaeda in Iraq network was founded by foreign terrorists, is led largely by foreign terrorists, and pays allegiance to a foreign terrorist, Bush said. Foreign-born terrorists carry out 80 to 90 percent of the suicide attacks in Iraq and inflict the most suffering on the Iraqi people, he said.
"They know they're al Qaeda. The Iraqi people know they are al Qaeda. People across the Muslim world know they are al Qaeda, and there's a good reason they are called al Qaeda in Iraq," Bush said. "They are al Qaeda, in Iraq."
Bush called the merger between al Qaeda and its Iraqi affiliate "an allegiance of killers." Its members share a common ideology, a desire to establish a terrorist safe haven in Iraq and a goal of attacking the United States, he said.
That's why "the finest military in the world is on their trail," the president said.
Bush quoted Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, who declared al Qaeda "public enemy No. 1 for the Iraqi people."
The group is public enemy No. 1 for the American people, too, Bush said. "And that is why, for the security of our country, we will stay on the hunt, we'll deny them safe haven, and we will defeat them where they have made their stand," he said.
Bush said leaving Iraq too early would be surrendering the country's future to al Qaeda. "Those who justify withdrawing our troops from Iraq by denying the threat of al Qaeda in Iraq and its ties to Osama bin Laden ignore the clear consequences of such a retreat," he said. "If we were to follow their advice, it would be dangerous for the world and disastrous for America."
The president vowed not to let that happen and said he's counting on U.S. servicemembers to continue supporting that effort.
"Every man and woman who serves at this base and around the world is playing a vital role in this war on terror," he said. "With your selfless spirit and devotion to duty, we will confront this mortal threat to our country, and we're going to prevail. I have confidence in our country, and I have faith in our cause, because I know the character of the men and women gathered before me."
American Forces Press Service
July 24, 2007 - Defeating al Qaeda in Iraq is critical to defeating the larger al Qaeda terrorist network, and the United States won't stop short of that goal, President Bush said today at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C. Bush told airmen and their families at the base that some people call Iraq a distraction from the war on terror and argue that al Qaeda in Iraq is unrelated to Osama bin Laden's larger al Qaeda network.
"That would be news to Osama bin Laden," the president said. "He's proclaimed that the third world war is raging in Iraq."
Nearly six years since al Qaeda launched the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, Iraq has become a key theater in the global war on terror, the president said. Troops fighting there are opposing ruthless enemies, "and no enemy is more ruthless in Iraq than al Qaeda."
As its members work to bring down Iraq's democracy and create a terrorist safe haven, al Qaeda in Iraq's leaders are trying to trick their Iraqi followers into thinking they're serving fellow Iraqis, Bush said.
In fact, the Qaeda in Iraq network was founded by foreign terrorists, is led largely by foreign terrorists, and pays allegiance to a foreign terrorist, Bush said. Foreign-born terrorists carry out 80 to 90 percent of the suicide attacks in Iraq and inflict the most suffering on the Iraqi people, he said.
"They know they're al Qaeda. The Iraqi people know they are al Qaeda. People across the Muslim world know they are al Qaeda, and there's a good reason they are called al Qaeda in Iraq," Bush said. "They are al Qaeda, in Iraq."
Bush called the merger between al Qaeda and its Iraqi affiliate "an allegiance of killers." Its members share a common ideology, a desire to establish a terrorist safe haven in Iraq and a goal of attacking the United States, he said.
That's why "the finest military in the world is on their trail," the president said.
Bush quoted Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, who declared al Qaeda "public enemy No. 1 for the Iraqi people."
The group is public enemy No. 1 for the American people, too, Bush said. "And that is why, for the security of our country, we will stay on the hunt, we'll deny them safe haven, and we will defeat them where they have made their stand," he said.
Bush said leaving Iraq too early would be surrendering the country's future to al Qaeda. "Those who justify withdrawing our troops from Iraq by denying the threat of al Qaeda in Iraq and its ties to Osama bin Laden ignore the clear consequences of such a retreat," he said. "If we were to follow their advice, it would be dangerous for the world and disastrous for America."
The president vowed not to let that happen and said he's counting on U.S. servicemembers to continue supporting that effort.
"Every man and woman who serves at this base and around the world is playing a vital role in this war on terror," he said. "With your selfless spirit and devotion to duty, we will confront this mortal threat to our country, and we're going to prevail. I have confidence in our country, and I have faith in our cause, because I know the character of the men and women gathered before me."
Joint Contracting Command Helps Boost Iraq's Economy
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
July 24, 2007 - More Iraqi firms are obtaining more reconstruction contracts, which in turn creates more jobs and strengthens Iraq's economy, a senior U.S. military officer said today. Iraqi firms have now received more than $1 billion in reconstruction contracts, Navy Capt. Robert J. Gilbeau, deputy commander and chief of staff for Joint Contracting Command Iraq/Afghanistan, told stateside-based online journalists and "bloggers."
"That's a real milestone for the Iraqi economy and for the Iraqi people, as it employs a good number of local nationals," Gilbeau pointed out.
The availability of jobs provides Iraq's young people with hope for a better future, he said, thus keeping them out of insurgents' clutches.
JCC I/A, a major subordinate command of Multinational Force Iraq, also manages contracting operations in Afghanistan, Gilbeau said. The command has 157 contracting officers at more than 18 locations throughout Iraq and Afghanistan, he said.
Last year, the command awarded more than $6.5 billion in overall contracts, Gilbeau said. Nearly $2.5 billion worth of contracts have been awarded so far this fiscal year.
The command's Iraqi First Program seeks to develop economic expansion and create entrepreneurship to better the lives of Iraq's people, Gilbeau explained, noting that a similar program exists in Afghanistan.
"Our efforts under this program were to remove barriers that prevented Iraqi-owned businesses from competing on a level playing field with the rest of the world's businesses," Gilbeau explained.
As more Iraqi firms obtain reconstruction-related contract work, more Iraqis are gaining employment, Gilbeau observed. This produces "a trickle-down effect" across Iraq's free-market economy, he said.
Iraqi contractors are doing everything from providing pens and pencils to furnishing cement barrier walls used in security zones, the captain said.
The increased prevalence of Iraqi contractors represents a shift in thinking, Gilbeau said, compared to the past when most of goods and services were procured from non-Iraqi firms and vendors.
Gilbeau recalled the success of an Iraqi expatriate who returned to his native land in 2003 to start a business with about $3,000 in initial capital. Today, that company employs thousands of Iraqis and does more than $300 million in contracted business to supply building material to U.S. bases, Gilbeau said.
Today, more than 50 percent of contract dollars go to Iraqi and Afghan firms doing business in their respective countries, Gilbeau noted.
JCC I/A follows federal and defense department contracting compliance and oversight regulations, Gilbeau said.
"We safeguard against corruption, and we execute prudent stewardship of the taxpayer's dollar, because we think it's paramount that we continue to keep the confidence of those we support here on the battlefield, as well as back home," he said.
American Forces Press Service
July 24, 2007 - More Iraqi firms are obtaining more reconstruction contracts, which in turn creates more jobs and strengthens Iraq's economy, a senior U.S. military officer said today. Iraqi firms have now received more than $1 billion in reconstruction contracts, Navy Capt. Robert J. Gilbeau, deputy commander and chief of staff for Joint Contracting Command Iraq/Afghanistan, told stateside-based online journalists and "bloggers."
"That's a real milestone for the Iraqi economy and for the Iraqi people, as it employs a good number of local nationals," Gilbeau pointed out.
The availability of jobs provides Iraq's young people with hope for a better future, he said, thus keeping them out of insurgents' clutches.
JCC I/A, a major subordinate command of Multinational Force Iraq, also manages contracting operations in Afghanistan, Gilbeau said. The command has 157 contracting officers at more than 18 locations throughout Iraq and Afghanistan, he said.
Last year, the command awarded more than $6.5 billion in overall contracts, Gilbeau said. Nearly $2.5 billion worth of contracts have been awarded so far this fiscal year.
The command's Iraqi First Program seeks to develop economic expansion and create entrepreneurship to better the lives of Iraq's people, Gilbeau explained, noting that a similar program exists in Afghanistan.
"Our efforts under this program were to remove barriers that prevented Iraqi-owned businesses from competing on a level playing field with the rest of the world's businesses," Gilbeau explained.
As more Iraqi firms obtain reconstruction-related contract work, more Iraqis are gaining employment, Gilbeau observed. This produces "a trickle-down effect" across Iraq's free-market economy, he said.
Iraqi contractors are doing everything from providing pens and pencils to furnishing cement barrier walls used in security zones, the captain said.
The increased prevalence of Iraqi contractors represents a shift in thinking, Gilbeau said, compared to the past when most of goods and services were procured from non-Iraqi firms and vendors.
Gilbeau recalled the success of an Iraqi expatriate who returned to his native land in 2003 to start a business with about $3,000 in initial capital. Today, that company employs thousands of Iraqis and does more than $300 million in contracted business to supply building material to U.S. bases, Gilbeau said.
Today, more than 50 percent of contract dollars go to Iraqi and Afghan firms doing business in their respective countries, Gilbeau noted.
JCC I/A follows federal and defense department contracting compliance and oversight regulations, Gilbeau said.
"We safeguard against corruption, and we execute prudent stewardship of the taxpayer's dollar, because we think it's paramount that we continue to keep the confidence of those we support here on the battlefield, as well as back home," he said.
Student Recognized for Documentary on Military Medical Center
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
July 24, 2007 - It's hard enough for adults to get their voices heard in Washington, let alone a teenager. Ian Scott Wilson, 13, however, discovered a positive way to grab attention with his award-winning documentary, "When the Boys Come Home." The 10-minute film tells the story of poor conditions discovered earlier this year at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here and the Army's efforts to correct the problems.
The film, which won first place in the middle school division of C-SPAN's "Student Cam" contest, also garnered him an audience with Dr. S. Ward Casscells, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.
Casscells expressed his pride in Wilson and thanked him for his efforts to even-handedly tell the story of Walter Reed's recent tribulations.
"What struck me is that he was so measured in his approach to things," said Casscells, who has children Wilson's age. "For a 13-year-old to grasp the shades of gray in this and not have a simplistic answer, to me, is amazing.
"I hope other kids will see you can get attention to your views without having extreme views," he added.
Casscells presented Wilson, his mother, Julie, younger sister Katherine and brother Sean with his commemorative coin. He thanked Wilson's family for supporting the aspiring filmmaker's efforts.
Walter Reed was the hot topic in all the newspapers when Wilson was deciding what his 10-minute entry into C-SPAN's contest should focus on. But it was the personal angle that truly inspired him to embrace the project so passionately.
"My brother is in the Army, and if he was hurt and had to go through the treatment (patients) went through at Walter Reed, he'd be wrecked," he said.
His brother, Army Sgt. Gordon Hamm, is serving in Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division. Though the two didn't grow up together, Wilson said, they're close.
"When the Boys Come Home" included "man-on-the-street" interviews and C-SPAN footage of congressional hearings on the conditions at Walter Reed. It also included information on the Army's efforts to fix the problems.
Wilson, who is considering joining the Navy when he's old enough, said that gathering information for the film wasn't the hard part, however. "The hardest part was editing and getting all the different bits in the right spot," he said.
That minor difficulty didn't deter him, though, and the aspiring filmmaker already has started on his second documentary. This time he'll tackle how young people under 18 can influence the 2008 elections. He was able to gather one more interview today when he turned his camera on Casscells to get his opinion on the topic.
The first-place he earned with "When the Boys Come Home," came with a $1,000 prize that he has grand plans for, though they don't involve new video equipment or editing software.
"I'm giving it to a soldier (at Walter Reed)," he said. "They're the ones that defend us, that make us able to even buy that stuff. I just thought that that's the least we can do."
Before long, the soon-to-be former-Virginian will have a new world to document when his family moves to Cairo, Egypt, where his mother will continue her job with the U.S. Agency for International Development. This will be the family's second posting in the country.
American Forces Press Service
July 24, 2007 - It's hard enough for adults to get their voices heard in Washington, let alone a teenager. Ian Scott Wilson, 13, however, discovered a positive way to grab attention with his award-winning documentary, "When the Boys Come Home." The 10-minute film tells the story of poor conditions discovered earlier this year at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here and the Army's efforts to correct the problems.
The film, which won first place in the middle school division of C-SPAN's "Student Cam" contest, also garnered him an audience with Dr. S. Ward Casscells, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.
Casscells expressed his pride in Wilson and thanked him for his efforts to even-handedly tell the story of Walter Reed's recent tribulations.
"What struck me is that he was so measured in his approach to things," said Casscells, who has children Wilson's age. "For a 13-year-old to grasp the shades of gray in this and not have a simplistic answer, to me, is amazing.
"I hope other kids will see you can get attention to your views without having extreme views," he added.
Casscells presented Wilson, his mother, Julie, younger sister Katherine and brother Sean with his commemorative coin. He thanked Wilson's family for supporting the aspiring filmmaker's efforts.
Walter Reed was the hot topic in all the newspapers when Wilson was deciding what his 10-minute entry into C-SPAN's contest should focus on. But it was the personal angle that truly inspired him to embrace the project so passionately.
"My brother is in the Army, and if he was hurt and had to go through the treatment (patients) went through at Walter Reed, he'd be wrecked," he said.
His brother, Army Sgt. Gordon Hamm, is serving in Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division. Though the two didn't grow up together, Wilson said, they're close.
"When the Boys Come Home" included "man-on-the-street" interviews and C-SPAN footage of congressional hearings on the conditions at Walter Reed. It also included information on the Army's efforts to fix the problems.
Wilson, who is considering joining the Navy when he's old enough, said that gathering information for the film wasn't the hard part, however. "The hardest part was editing and getting all the different bits in the right spot," he said.
That minor difficulty didn't deter him, though, and the aspiring filmmaker already has started on his second documentary. This time he'll tackle how young people under 18 can influence the 2008 elections. He was able to gather one more interview today when he turned his camera on Casscells to get his opinion on the topic.
The first-place he earned with "When the Boys Come Home," came with a $1,000 prize that he has grand plans for, though they don't involve new video equipment or editing software.
"I'm giving it to a soldier (at Walter Reed)," he said. "They're the ones that defend us, that make us able to even buy that stuff. I just thought that that's the least we can do."
Before long, the soon-to-be former-Virginian will have a new world to document when his family moves to Cairo, Egypt, where his mother will continue her job with the U.S. Agency for International Development. This will be the family's second posting in the country.
'EagleCash' Helps OIF-Deployed Troops Manage Money
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
July 24, 2007 - Thousands of servicemembers deployed overseas in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom have found it easy and convenient to use "EagleCash" cards when making financial transactions, officials said. Also known as stored-value cards, EagleCash cards are issued at no charge to servicemembers before deployment for use at overseas military exchange stores, postal facilities and vendor concessions, officials said. The cards are electronically-linked to users' stateside banking accounts.
"The EagleCash card is better than cash," Army Col. Stephen J. Riviere, commander of the 13th Finance Group, said in a recent news release. The Army is encouraging Middle East-deployed soldiers to use EagleCash, since use of the card precludes their not having to wait in long lines to cash their paper paychecks.
EagleCash recently celebrated its one-year anniversary in the Operation Iraqi Freedom theater-of-operations. More than 300,000 EagleCash transactions have been made in the past 12 months.
EagleCash is a cooperative effort between the U.S. Army's Finance Command and the U.S. Department of the Treasury's financial management service. Officials said use of the cards reduces the amount of U.S. currency in circulation overseas and also cuts the number of military financial specialists deployed in theater. This frees up servicemembers for other duties.
Card users can access specially-equipped kiosks to check their balances, transfer funds or access cash.
There are now more than 100 EagleCash kiosks and 1,200 sales transaction points across Multinational Corps Iraq's area-of-operations, Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno stated in a recent announcement to MNC-I troops.
Odierno requested that servicemembers, government civilians and contractors assigned to his command who use Army finance office services obtain EagleCash cards by August 1.
Thanks to EagleCash, "the military finance office is no longer the only location where individuals can access their funds to meet their financial needs," Odierno said.
"I ask leaders at every level to ensure our servicemembers and civilians are properly educated on all the benefits and capabilities of the EagleCash SVC program," he said.
American Forces Press Service
July 24, 2007 - Thousands of servicemembers deployed overseas in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom have found it easy and convenient to use "EagleCash" cards when making financial transactions, officials said. Also known as stored-value cards, EagleCash cards are issued at no charge to servicemembers before deployment for use at overseas military exchange stores, postal facilities and vendor concessions, officials said. The cards are electronically-linked to users' stateside banking accounts.
"The EagleCash card is better than cash," Army Col. Stephen J. Riviere, commander of the 13th Finance Group, said in a recent news release. The Army is encouraging Middle East-deployed soldiers to use EagleCash, since use of the card precludes their not having to wait in long lines to cash their paper paychecks.
EagleCash recently celebrated its one-year anniversary in the Operation Iraqi Freedom theater-of-operations. More than 300,000 EagleCash transactions have been made in the past 12 months.
EagleCash is a cooperative effort between the U.S. Army's Finance Command and the U.S. Department of the Treasury's financial management service. Officials said use of the cards reduces the amount of U.S. currency in circulation overseas and also cuts the number of military financial specialists deployed in theater. This frees up servicemembers for other duties.
Card users can access specially-equipped kiosks to check their balances, transfer funds or access cash.
There are now more than 100 EagleCash kiosks and 1,200 sales transaction points across Multinational Corps Iraq's area-of-operations, Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno stated in a recent announcement to MNC-I troops.
Odierno requested that servicemembers, government civilians and contractors assigned to his command who use Army finance office services obtain EagleCash cards by August 1.
Thanks to EagleCash, "the military finance office is no longer the only location where individuals can access their funds to meet their financial needs," Odierno said.
"I ask leaders at every level to ensure our servicemembers and civilians are properly educated on all the benefits and capabilities of the EagleCash SVC program," he said.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
U.S. Nuclear Weapons Strategy Delivered To Congress
On Friday, 20 July 2007, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates joined with the Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to submit to Congress a three-page statement on U.S. national security and nuclear weapons, entitled "Maintaining Deterrence in the 21st Century."
The statement underscores the President's policy for achieving "an effective strategic deterrent at the lowest level of nuclear weapons consistent with U.S. national security and our commitment to our allies." The statement acknowledges that the Cold War is behind us, but points out that a new, diverse array of potential adversaries must now be deterred. At the same time, U.S. allies must remain assured of America's continuing security commitment and capabilities.
To achieve this, the strategy paper states that it is crucial to have bipartisan support for a 21st century nuclear weapons strategy. The statement recommends that Congress initiate the Reliable Replacement Warhead program, and notes the importance of a responsive nuclear infrastructure for managing the technological and geo-political risks associated with drawing down the size of the nuclear arsenal.
The statement is available at:
http://www.nnsa.doe.gov/docs/factsheets/2007/NA-07-FS-04.pdf.
The statement underscores the President's policy for achieving "an effective strategic deterrent at the lowest level of nuclear weapons consistent with U.S. national security and our commitment to our allies." The statement acknowledges that the Cold War is behind us, but points out that a new, diverse array of potential adversaries must now be deterred. At the same time, U.S. allies must remain assured of America's continuing security commitment and capabilities.
To achieve this, the strategy paper states that it is crucial to have bipartisan support for a 21st century nuclear weapons strategy. The statement recommends that Congress initiate the Reliable Replacement Warhead program, and notes the importance of a responsive nuclear infrastructure for managing the technological and geo-political risks associated with drawing down the size of the nuclear arsenal.
The statement is available at:
http://www.nnsa.doe.gov/docs/factsheets/2007/NA-07-FS-04.pdf.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Project Embodies Art of Compassion
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
July 23, 2007 - Portraits created by "Project Compassion" capture so much -- the twinkle in an eye, the smallest hint of a smile, the evident pride of a newly minted Marine, everything good families remember about loved ones killed fighting the war on terrorism. Project Compassion's sole mission is providing an "heirloom legacy of courage" to families of fallen servicemembers. That heirloom comes in the form of an 18-by-24-inch gallery-quality oil-on-canvas portrait of any servicemember who has died in the global war on terrorism.
Kaziah M. Hancock, the organization's founder, set out on this mission in 2003. Since then, five artists have joined her in her efforts, but the process is still the same. The portraits, painted from photos, are presented to servicemembers' families at no cost to the families.
"We remain determined that these oil paintings of a fallen soldier will never cost the family a dime," Hancock said in a letter on the group's Web site. "They have paid the ultimate high price."
Project Compassion is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
To Hancock, the portraits represent "a simple act of kindness from one human being to another."
She said she hopes the paintings make the high emotional cost of losing a loved one a little more bearable for the families.
A letter from one mother is posted on the group's Web site: "When I brought Darron's painting home, it really helped me feel better. You really captured the light in his eyes!" the mother wrote. "Just looking at it reminds me of his zest for life! I miss him sooooo much! But the painting helped so much. You made my heart glad!"
The James R. Greenbaum Jr. Family Foundation has funded the group's efforts to date. "The foundation funds the material expenses of paint, canvas, framing and shipping of completed paintings to (the primary next of kin)," Marie Woolf, the project's executive director, said.
The overwhelming success of the program, however, is dictating the need for additional sources of funding. Hancock, with the help of five other artists who sought to participate in the project, has completed more than 600 portraits so far.
In May 2005, with the help of Sen. Orrin Hatch, the Utah-based program established official partnerships with the military services.
"Except for the Army, all of the services now include Project Compassion information, including our invitation to contact us, with standard paperwork personally delivered by casualty officers" to families of servicemembers killed in the war on terror, Woolf said.
The Army does things a little differently. Project Compassion is allowed to send monthly mailings to the families of fallen soldiers who agreed to allow third parties to contact them.
Families who have lost a servicemember, regardless of the cause, since Sept. 11, are eligible to receive a portrait. Those interested can contact Project Compassion via the group's Web site, www.heropaintings.com.
Hancock, an award-winning artist, and those bolstering her efforts, often work on 10 to 25 canvases at a time, but they have dedicated themselves to completing each request they receive.
"No one had ever expected the amount of causalities," Hancock said her letter to Project Compassion's Web site visitors. "(However) we remain committed to continue this project, (so) that for generations to come the world will know the beautiful people that have been sacrificed for all that we have."
American Forces Press Service
July 23, 2007 - Portraits created by "Project Compassion" capture so much -- the twinkle in an eye, the smallest hint of a smile, the evident pride of a newly minted Marine, everything good families remember about loved ones killed fighting the war on terrorism. Project Compassion's sole mission is providing an "heirloom legacy of courage" to families of fallen servicemembers. That heirloom comes in the form of an 18-by-24-inch gallery-quality oil-on-canvas portrait of any servicemember who has died in the global war on terrorism.
Kaziah M. Hancock, the organization's founder, set out on this mission in 2003. Since then, five artists have joined her in her efforts, but the process is still the same. The portraits, painted from photos, are presented to servicemembers' families at no cost to the families.
"We remain determined that these oil paintings of a fallen soldier will never cost the family a dime," Hancock said in a letter on the group's Web site. "They have paid the ultimate high price."
Project Compassion is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
To Hancock, the portraits represent "a simple act of kindness from one human being to another."
She said she hopes the paintings make the high emotional cost of losing a loved one a little more bearable for the families.
A letter from one mother is posted on the group's Web site: "When I brought Darron's painting home, it really helped me feel better. You really captured the light in his eyes!" the mother wrote. "Just looking at it reminds me of his zest for life! I miss him sooooo much! But the painting helped so much. You made my heart glad!"
The James R. Greenbaum Jr. Family Foundation has funded the group's efforts to date. "The foundation funds the material expenses of paint, canvas, framing and shipping of completed paintings to (the primary next of kin)," Marie Woolf, the project's executive director, said.
The overwhelming success of the program, however, is dictating the need for additional sources of funding. Hancock, with the help of five other artists who sought to participate in the project, has completed more than 600 portraits so far.
In May 2005, with the help of Sen. Orrin Hatch, the Utah-based program established official partnerships with the military services.
"Except for the Army, all of the services now include Project Compassion information, including our invitation to contact us, with standard paperwork personally delivered by casualty officers" to families of servicemembers killed in the war on terror, Woolf said.
The Army does things a little differently. Project Compassion is allowed to send monthly mailings to the families of fallen soldiers who agreed to allow third parties to contact them.
Families who have lost a servicemember, regardless of the cause, since Sept. 11, are eligible to receive a portrait. Those interested can contact Project Compassion via the group's Web site, www.heropaintings.com.
Hancock, an award-winning artist, and those bolstering her efforts, often work on 10 to 25 canvases at a time, but they have dedicated themselves to completing each request they receive.
"No one had ever expected the amount of causalities," Hancock said her letter to Project Compassion's Web site visitors. "(However) we remain committed to continue this project, (so) that for generations to come the world will know the beautiful people that have been sacrificed for all that we have."
COMMENTARY: Guests Visit HMS Illustrious, Get Sneak Preview of War Game
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
July 23, 2007 - On July 18, I flew to British soil on 15 minutes' notice. Marine Brig. Gen. Robert Walsh, who would escort a group of 16 guests to a British aircraft carrier that morning, discovered at the last minute that he had an extra spot for a reporter, and I volunteered to fill it.
Collecting my things, I raced to the pre-flight briefing and learned the basics of the day's trip: an MV-22 Osprey, the dual-hatted Marine aircraft that alternates between being a helicopter and airplane, would carry us from the Pentagon helipad and deliver us to the flight deck of England's HMS Illustrious, which floated somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean near North Carolina's coast.
As Marines briefed us, they distributed itineraries, which allotted time for the group to watch Marines work side by side with British Royal Navy sailors and Royal Air Force members as they prepared for a joint exercise to take place July 25-31. Underscoring differences in military culture, our English hosts had slated a chunk of time to treat guests to pre-luncheon cocktails.
Anxious guests gathered near the Pentagon helipad, or Penpad, awaiting the Osprey's arrival. Around 10 a.m., an eagle-eyed guest spied the Osprey across the Potomac River, rearing its head around the Washington Monument obelisk. Like a predator with wings erect as it descends on prey, the MV-22's tilt-rotors tipped upward in "helicopter mode" as it swooped toward us. The Osprey's massive propellers puffed huge packets of air that sent shirts and pants fluttering like sails luffing in the wind.
After passengers secured their seat belts and chest harnesses, the MV-22 floated from the ground so gingerly it was like someone had momentarily switched off earth's gravitational pull. Once airborne, a mid-range humming seeped under cranial gear and headphones, signaling that the craft was morphing from a helicopter to a plane that would propel us to speeds of 300 mph en route to HMS Illustrious.
Known as the United Kingdom's "high readiness strike center," HMS Illustrious' flight deck has two characteristics distinguishing it from a sprawling U.S. carrier: its runway is shorter by roughly 450 feet, and Illustrious' deck ends in a "ski jump" ramp. But since this was the first carrier I'd seen, I had no first-hand basis to compare it to an American counterpart.
A host of foreign stimulus bombarded my senses as I walked through the gallery's long stretches, gripping onto arched doorways from time to time when the sea's motion threatened to break my feeble landlubber's balance threshold. The temperature rose noticeably in the hangar, and cockney accents hung on palpable swelter as British air crews worked on idle machines. Scents from cream of broccoli -- the soup du jour -- and other English staples wafted from the mess hall.
U.S. Marines were on board HMS Illustrious in part to learn how to operate in a foreign environment alongside coalition counterparts. With members of England's Royal Navy and Air Force, they transformed the Eastern seaboard into a coalition-force classroom, exchanging operational expertise while strengthening international bonds that are increasingly vital to global security.
Perhaps counterintuitively, Marines onboard say the greatest barrier in the partnership lay in communication. Despite sharing English as the mother tongue, many have found that contrasts in each nation's military language are conspicuous.
"The gear that they use and our hand signals are all different. We've had to learn everything different than what we've been taught," said Marine Staff Sgt. Jeremy Smith, of the Marine Attack Squadron 223 "Bulldogs," who works with British personnel onboard, fueling and maintaining idle aircrafts and directing jet aviators as a member of the flight line crew.
"Chains, chocks," he said, "it's all different words, which is very challenging as far as the language barrier goes."
While on HMS Illustrious, Smith said he became irked when he tried to buy a snack but was denied. "I can't use my money. I've tried it," he said. "Even If I want to buy a soda or a bag of chips, I've got to go downstairs and change it for the British sterling pound."
Smith said he recognizes that coalition exercises, despite the occasional cultural snag, are significant in forging combat partnerships. "I think in the future we'll probably see a lot more of this," he said. "It's important to start now so that when we do get out there and we're partnered up more, we have a feel for what's going on on both sides."
Through a series of strategic and symbolic events taking place on HMS Illustrious this month, the nations are demonstrating cooperation "in the air, on the sea, all over the globe, and in science and in industry" -- realizing hopes that Winston Churchill articulated in a famous 1946 speech lauding trans-Atlantic partnering.
Making history July 15, for example, 14 Marine AV-8B Harrier jets embarked on the ship, marking the highest number of foreign aircraft that HMS Illustrious has hosted in its battle-hardened 218-year military career. Likewise, it is the first time an American aviation unit of this scale embarked aboard a foreign warship.
From July 25-31, coalition members will engage in a U.S.-led joint task force exercise called Operation Bold Step. The exercise will test a range of ships across the spectrum of conflict, ranging from embargo operations involving British and U.S. boarding teams, to air strike missions dropping precision ordnance against simulated targets, English military officials said.
"The exercise is to stress the interoperability that we as Marines can operate with anybody," said Walsh, assistant deputy commandant for aviation who escorted American guests. "I think that it shows that the U.S. can operate with the coalition, not just working side by side, but actually aboard their ship."
Because U.S. Marines and Royal Navy sailors and Air Force operators have similar characteristics, Walsh said, achieving interoperability is an intuitive transition.
"I think the cultural piece there is that we're both naval in character," he said, "so if the (Royal Air Force) can operate on their navy ships, there's no reason why Marines, who are naval in character, can't jump aboard their ship and operate too."
Walsh brought the special guests and media members to HMS Illustrious to see the joint task force's inner-workings as it prepares for the war game. On the flight deck, we watched as Marine aviators in Harrier jets readied to blast off the "ski jump." Cutting through the deafening engines were British and American members of the flight line, working in concert to direct the assault aircrafts and speaking in hand signals.
As Harriers whizzed by spectators, then up and off the ramp, the engines bathed us in hot combusted jet fuel, which felt like sticking your face before a scalding oven and ripping the door open. Thickly-padded headphones couldn't damper the lion's roar of takeoff that rocked the flight deck and jostled onlookers' viscera.
In stoic terms, Marine aviator Maj. Stephan Bradicich, of the Marine Attack Squadron 542 "Tigers" described the drama involved in taking off from the short runway.
"When you're flying off a ship like this and you're looking 300 to 400 feet in front of you and then, all of a sudden, you're dropping off the end of the boat, there's a little apprehension," he said. "But the kick in the butt when you throw the power in the corner is absolutely phenomenal in the Harrier.
"Particularly with the ski jump on this ship," he said. "When you hit the end of the boat you're going up fast." With other visitors, I watched Bradicich and a team of Harrier pilots disappear over the horizon. When it dawned on me that the Marines' English counterparts were providing key information from the flight control tower as they flew mock sorties, I realized I was seeing a historically strong coalition partnership gain another dimension.
As Royal Air Force Commodore Phil Goodman, a visitor who accompanied Walsh, told me, "We've worked very closely with U.S. forces for many years in the air domain, and this is another string to that bow."
American Forces Press Service
July 23, 2007 - On July 18, I flew to British soil on 15 minutes' notice. Marine Brig. Gen. Robert Walsh, who would escort a group of 16 guests to a British aircraft carrier that morning, discovered at the last minute that he had an extra spot for a reporter, and I volunteered to fill it.
Collecting my things, I raced to the pre-flight briefing and learned the basics of the day's trip: an MV-22 Osprey, the dual-hatted Marine aircraft that alternates between being a helicopter and airplane, would carry us from the Pentagon helipad and deliver us to the flight deck of England's HMS Illustrious, which floated somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean near North Carolina's coast.
As Marines briefed us, they distributed itineraries, which allotted time for the group to watch Marines work side by side with British Royal Navy sailors and Royal Air Force members as they prepared for a joint exercise to take place July 25-31. Underscoring differences in military culture, our English hosts had slated a chunk of time to treat guests to pre-luncheon cocktails.
Anxious guests gathered near the Pentagon helipad, or Penpad, awaiting the Osprey's arrival. Around 10 a.m., an eagle-eyed guest spied the Osprey across the Potomac River, rearing its head around the Washington Monument obelisk. Like a predator with wings erect as it descends on prey, the MV-22's tilt-rotors tipped upward in "helicopter mode" as it swooped toward us. The Osprey's massive propellers puffed huge packets of air that sent shirts and pants fluttering like sails luffing in the wind.
After passengers secured their seat belts and chest harnesses, the MV-22 floated from the ground so gingerly it was like someone had momentarily switched off earth's gravitational pull. Once airborne, a mid-range humming seeped under cranial gear and headphones, signaling that the craft was morphing from a helicopter to a plane that would propel us to speeds of 300 mph en route to HMS Illustrious.
Known as the United Kingdom's "high readiness strike center," HMS Illustrious' flight deck has two characteristics distinguishing it from a sprawling U.S. carrier: its runway is shorter by roughly 450 feet, and Illustrious' deck ends in a "ski jump" ramp. But since this was the first carrier I'd seen, I had no first-hand basis to compare it to an American counterpart.
A host of foreign stimulus bombarded my senses as I walked through the gallery's long stretches, gripping onto arched doorways from time to time when the sea's motion threatened to break my feeble landlubber's balance threshold. The temperature rose noticeably in the hangar, and cockney accents hung on palpable swelter as British air crews worked on idle machines. Scents from cream of broccoli -- the soup du jour -- and other English staples wafted from the mess hall.
U.S. Marines were on board HMS Illustrious in part to learn how to operate in a foreign environment alongside coalition counterparts. With members of England's Royal Navy and Air Force, they transformed the Eastern seaboard into a coalition-force classroom, exchanging operational expertise while strengthening international bonds that are increasingly vital to global security.
Perhaps counterintuitively, Marines onboard say the greatest barrier in the partnership lay in communication. Despite sharing English as the mother tongue, many have found that contrasts in each nation's military language are conspicuous.
"The gear that they use and our hand signals are all different. We've had to learn everything different than what we've been taught," said Marine Staff Sgt. Jeremy Smith, of the Marine Attack Squadron 223 "Bulldogs," who works with British personnel onboard, fueling and maintaining idle aircrafts and directing jet aviators as a member of the flight line crew.
"Chains, chocks," he said, "it's all different words, which is very challenging as far as the language barrier goes."
While on HMS Illustrious, Smith said he became irked when he tried to buy a snack but was denied. "I can't use my money. I've tried it," he said. "Even If I want to buy a soda or a bag of chips, I've got to go downstairs and change it for the British sterling pound."
Smith said he recognizes that coalition exercises, despite the occasional cultural snag, are significant in forging combat partnerships. "I think in the future we'll probably see a lot more of this," he said. "It's important to start now so that when we do get out there and we're partnered up more, we have a feel for what's going on on both sides."
Through a series of strategic and symbolic events taking place on HMS Illustrious this month, the nations are demonstrating cooperation "in the air, on the sea, all over the globe, and in science and in industry" -- realizing hopes that Winston Churchill articulated in a famous 1946 speech lauding trans-Atlantic partnering.
Making history July 15, for example, 14 Marine AV-8B Harrier jets embarked on the ship, marking the highest number of foreign aircraft that HMS Illustrious has hosted in its battle-hardened 218-year military career. Likewise, it is the first time an American aviation unit of this scale embarked aboard a foreign warship.
From July 25-31, coalition members will engage in a U.S.-led joint task force exercise called Operation Bold Step. The exercise will test a range of ships across the spectrum of conflict, ranging from embargo operations involving British and U.S. boarding teams, to air strike missions dropping precision ordnance against simulated targets, English military officials said.
"The exercise is to stress the interoperability that we as Marines can operate with anybody," said Walsh, assistant deputy commandant for aviation who escorted American guests. "I think that it shows that the U.S. can operate with the coalition, not just working side by side, but actually aboard their ship."
Because U.S. Marines and Royal Navy sailors and Air Force operators have similar characteristics, Walsh said, achieving interoperability is an intuitive transition.
"I think the cultural piece there is that we're both naval in character," he said, "so if the (Royal Air Force) can operate on their navy ships, there's no reason why Marines, who are naval in character, can't jump aboard their ship and operate too."
Walsh brought the special guests and media members to HMS Illustrious to see the joint task force's inner-workings as it prepares for the war game. On the flight deck, we watched as Marine aviators in Harrier jets readied to blast off the "ski jump." Cutting through the deafening engines were British and American members of the flight line, working in concert to direct the assault aircrafts and speaking in hand signals.
As Harriers whizzed by spectators, then up and off the ramp, the engines bathed us in hot combusted jet fuel, which felt like sticking your face before a scalding oven and ripping the door open. Thickly-padded headphones couldn't damper the lion's roar of takeoff that rocked the flight deck and jostled onlookers' viscera.
In stoic terms, Marine aviator Maj. Stephan Bradicich, of the Marine Attack Squadron 542 "Tigers" described the drama involved in taking off from the short runway.
"When you're flying off a ship like this and you're looking 300 to 400 feet in front of you and then, all of a sudden, you're dropping off the end of the boat, there's a little apprehension," he said. "But the kick in the butt when you throw the power in the corner is absolutely phenomenal in the Harrier.
"Particularly with the ski jump on this ship," he said. "When you hit the end of the boat you're going up fast." With other visitors, I watched Bradicich and a team of Harrier pilots disappear over the horizon. When it dawned on me that the Marines' English counterparts were providing key information from the flight control tower as they flew mock sorties, I realized I was seeing a historically strong coalition partnership gain another dimension.
As Royal Air Force Commodore Phil Goodman, a visitor who accompanied Walsh, told me, "We've worked very closely with U.S. forces for many years in the air domain, and this is another string to that bow."
Task Force Provides Iraq Training to Salvadoran Military
By Senior Airman Shaun Emery, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
El Salvador, July 23, 2007 - A task force of 26 personnel from Joint Task Force Bravo traveled here earlier this month to conduct military-to-military training for Salvadoran soldiers deploying in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. During the week-long training mission July 16-20, Salvadoran soldiers were instructed on driving military vehicles, convoy and perimeter security, communications, how to avoid improvised explosive devices, civilian and military cooperation, and emergency first aid.
At the end of the week, the soldiers were put to the test with a culmination exercise to see if they could put their new skills use in a simulated convoy attack. By the end of the training, both the members of Joint Task Force Bravo and the Salvadoran military learned a lot from each other.
"They are an extremely professional force," said Lt. Col. Greg Jicha, the task force commander and commander of Army forces at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras. "They go into each day of training with ambition and the desire to learn. They understand the seriousness of the situation they'll face in Iraq."
El Salvador is the only country in Central America that provides personnel to support Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Col. Jose Atilio Benitez Parada, commandant of Battalion Cuscatlan, said his country knows the pains of terrorism. During the 12-year civil war in El Salvador, the colonel said, he was witness to many instances of terrorism. He said he is proud to support America, one of El Salvador's brother countries.
While in Iraq, Salvadoran soldiers will use American military equipment, so it is important they receive the training prior to deploying. Salvadoran drivers had never operated a Humvee; medics had not seen some of the life-saving tools the U.S. military uses; radio operators were seeing equipment for the fist time.
"The language barrier was the only tough part for me," said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. David Saucer, a driver trainer. "But as far as their interest in learning about and operating the vehicle, we couldn't have asked for more."
Saucer, Army Staff Sgt. Brian Grishaw and Master Sgt. Elva Marquez went over basic preventive maintenance and the layout of the vehicle before drivers took to the road.
As Humvees and a 5-ton truck rolled by, medical personnel were busy learning techniques that could save their fellow soldiers' lives. From victim assessment to administering intravenous needles, students ran the full gamut of U.S. Army Combat Live Saver training. The medical instructors later said the only thing more impressive than the skills the Salvadoran soldiers demonstrated was their eagerness to learn more.
"I'm so proud of this group," said Army Capt. Marta Artiga, head medical instructor. "They came to training every day ready to take the next step. They grasped everything we taught them and were able to put it into practice.
At another site, a mass of soldiers huddled around waiting to get a chance to operate radios. One by one, they would get the chance to plug in frequencies and learn how the radios operated. Like their fellow soldiers, the radio students were eager to learn more.
"They asked really good questions," said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jeffery Scott, a communications instructor. "They wanted to know what kind of situations they would face in Iraq and how to deal with them. They are a motivated group."
Soldiers learning about convoy security, perimeter security and improvised explosive devices were able to show their stuff during the culmination exercise.
The exercise kicked off with the convoy getting hit with a simulated IED. From there, convoy security troops neutralized the enemy. At the same time, medical personnel were treating wounded soldiers in the back of the 5-ton truck. When the area was secure, the drivers quickly delivered the wounded to a triage center where the medical students offloaded the wounded.
At the triage station, medical students evaluated each patient, provided necessary treatment and prepared them for evacuation.
With all the action happening around them, radio operators relayed coordinates to a simulated helicopter to provide medical evacuation.
"The exercise was outstanding," Jicha, the task force commander, said. "They were able to incorporate all the new skills sets we taught throughout the week. I couldn't be more pleased."
Though all the chaos of the simulated battle, transportation, medical treatment and evacuation, one person running back and forth played a special role in the exercise.
Army Staff Sgt. Edgardo Alvarez, who was there to provide linguistic support, was handed the reigns to the exercise. He put together a plan and, working with the other instructors, devised the best way to accommodate everyone's training needs.
"He did an outstanding job," Jicha said. "And the results were evident."
"I am very proud of these guys," Alvarez said. "They worked hard and did their best. There are things they can work on because they can always get better, but overall they did a great job."
In the end, while members of Joint Task Force Bravo provided the training, they learned that the Salvadoran soldiers they may find themselves serving beside in Iraq are professional and eager to learn.
(Air Force Senior Airman Shaun Emery is assigned to Joint Task Force Bravo Public Affairs.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
El Salvador, July 23, 2007 - A task force of 26 personnel from Joint Task Force Bravo traveled here earlier this month to conduct military-to-military training for Salvadoran soldiers deploying in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. During the week-long training mission July 16-20, Salvadoran soldiers were instructed on driving military vehicles, convoy and perimeter security, communications, how to avoid improvised explosive devices, civilian and military cooperation, and emergency first aid.
At the end of the week, the soldiers were put to the test with a culmination exercise to see if they could put their new skills use in a simulated convoy attack. By the end of the training, both the members of Joint Task Force Bravo and the Salvadoran military learned a lot from each other.
"They are an extremely professional force," said Lt. Col. Greg Jicha, the task force commander and commander of Army forces at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras. "They go into each day of training with ambition and the desire to learn. They understand the seriousness of the situation they'll face in Iraq."
El Salvador is the only country in Central America that provides personnel to support Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Col. Jose Atilio Benitez Parada, commandant of Battalion Cuscatlan, said his country knows the pains of terrorism. During the 12-year civil war in El Salvador, the colonel said, he was witness to many instances of terrorism. He said he is proud to support America, one of El Salvador's brother countries.
While in Iraq, Salvadoran soldiers will use American military equipment, so it is important they receive the training prior to deploying. Salvadoran drivers had never operated a Humvee; medics had not seen some of the life-saving tools the U.S. military uses; radio operators were seeing equipment for the fist time.
"The language barrier was the only tough part for me," said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. David Saucer, a driver trainer. "But as far as their interest in learning about and operating the vehicle, we couldn't have asked for more."
Saucer, Army Staff Sgt. Brian Grishaw and Master Sgt. Elva Marquez went over basic preventive maintenance and the layout of the vehicle before drivers took to the road.
As Humvees and a 5-ton truck rolled by, medical personnel were busy learning techniques that could save their fellow soldiers' lives. From victim assessment to administering intravenous needles, students ran the full gamut of U.S. Army Combat Live Saver training. The medical instructors later said the only thing more impressive than the skills the Salvadoran soldiers demonstrated was their eagerness to learn more.
"I'm so proud of this group," said Army Capt. Marta Artiga, head medical instructor. "They came to training every day ready to take the next step. They grasped everything we taught them and were able to put it into practice.
At another site, a mass of soldiers huddled around waiting to get a chance to operate radios. One by one, they would get the chance to plug in frequencies and learn how the radios operated. Like their fellow soldiers, the radio students were eager to learn more.
"They asked really good questions," said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jeffery Scott, a communications instructor. "They wanted to know what kind of situations they would face in Iraq and how to deal with them. They are a motivated group."
Soldiers learning about convoy security, perimeter security and improvised explosive devices were able to show their stuff during the culmination exercise.
The exercise kicked off with the convoy getting hit with a simulated IED. From there, convoy security troops neutralized the enemy. At the same time, medical personnel were treating wounded soldiers in the back of the 5-ton truck. When the area was secure, the drivers quickly delivered the wounded to a triage center where the medical students offloaded the wounded.
At the triage station, medical students evaluated each patient, provided necessary treatment and prepared them for evacuation.
With all the action happening around them, radio operators relayed coordinates to a simulated helicopter to provide medical evacuation.
"The exercise was outstanding," Jicha, the task force commander, said. "They were able to incorporate all the new skills sets we taught throughout the week. I couldn't be more pleased."
Though all the chaos of the simulated battle, transportation, medical treatment and evacuation, one person running back and forth played a special role in the exercise.
Army Staff Sgt. Edgardo Alvarez, who was there to provide linguistic support, was handed the reigns to the exercise. He put together a plan and, working with the other instructors, devised the best way to accommodate everyone's training needs.
"He did an outstanding job," Jicha said. "And the results were evident."
"I am very proud of these guys," Alvarez said. "They worked hard and did their best. There are things they can work on because they can always get better, but overall they did a great job."
In the end, while members of Joint Task Force Bravo provided the training, they learned that the Salvadoran soldiers they may find themselves serving beside in Iraq are professional and eager to learn.
(Air Force Senior Airman Shaun Emery is assigned to Joint Task Force Bravo Public Affairs.)
Pace Visits Wounded Warriors at Landstuhl
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
July 21, 2007 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff stopped by a military hospital here today to see servicemembers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. Marine Gen. Peter Pace also awarded the Purple Heart to an Army specialist.
Pace awarded Army Spc. Colin Laird Pearcy the Purple Heart during a ceremony at his Landstuhl Regional Medical Center bedside. Pearcy, a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, had been patrolling in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood when he was wounded. His Humvee was in a blocking position when an improvised explosive device hit.
"I got hit in the left arm," he said. "My legs got peppered pretty good and my face – well you can see. We were fortunate. I was the only one hit."
Pearcy told the general that he was "good to go" when the general asked how he was feeling.
After he received the award, a reporter traveling with Pace asked the specialist if he felt like a hero. "I feel like I just did my job," was his reply. The 24-year-old soldier said that he'd like to "drink a cold beer" as his next step toward recovery.
Pace went to other parts of the hospital to see wounded servicemembers and the caregivers at Landstuhl. He donned a sterile gown over his Marine desert camouflage uniform to visit a number of servicemembers in the intensive care unit of the hospital.
Escorted by the medical center commander, Army Col. Brian Lein, Pace spoke with members of the staff. All services contribute medical personnel to the hospital, which also employs Defense Department civilians and local nationals.
Landstuhl is a Level 3 hospital, meaning it can treat the most serious cases. It is located near Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and medical evacuation planes arrive at the air base daily, a Landstuhl spokesman said. Other nations' wounded also benefit from the world-class care at the center. Service personnel from 40 nations have received care at Landstuhl.
Pace thanked the staff at the hospital for the work they do. "The treatment here is incredible, and the record of success of folks who make it to this hospital is phenomenal," he said.
Pace has visited the medical center many times and said he always leaves feeling humbled. "You feel a mixture of humility, because the troops invariably say to you that all they want to do is get back to their units," he said. "No matter how badly wounded they are, what they are thinking about is the guys and gals they left on the battlefield."
He said he also feels thankful for the medical professionals in the hospital and for the groups who donate time, money and materials for the wounded warriors and their families.
American Forces Press Service
July 21, 2007 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff stopped by a military hospital here today to see servicemembers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. Marine Gen. Peter Pace also awarded the Purple Heart to an Army specialist.
Pace awarded Army Spc. Colin Laird Pearcy the Purple Heart during a ceremony at his Landstuhl Regional Medical Center bedside. Pearcy, a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, had been patrolling in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood when he was wounded. His Humvee was in a blocking position when an improvised explosive device hit.
"I got hit in the left arm," he said. "My legs got peppered pretty good and my face – well you can see. We were fortunate. I was the only one hit."
Pearcy told the general that he was "good to go" when the general asked how he was feeling.
After he received the award, a reporter traveling with Pace asked the specialist if he felt like a hero. "I feel like I just did my job," was his reply. The 24-year-old soldier said that he'd like to "drink a cold beer" as his next step toward recovery.
Pace went to other parts of the hospital to see wounded servicemembers and the caregivers at Landstuhl. He donned a sterile gown over his Marine desert camouflage uniform to visit a number of servicemembers in the intensive care unit of the hospital.
Escorted by the medical center commander, Army Col. Brian Lein, Pace spoke with members of the staff. All services contribute medical personnel to the hospital, which also employs Defense Department civilians and local nationals.
Landstuhl is a Level 3 hospital, meaning it can treat the most serious cases. It is located near Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and medical evacuation planes arrive at the air base daily, a Landstuhl spokesman said. Other nations' wounded also benefit from the world-class care at the center. Service personnel from 40 nations have received care at Landstuhl.
Pace thanked the staff at the hospital for the work they do. "The treatment here is incredible, and the record of success of folks who make it to this hospital is phenomenal," he said.
Pace has visited the medical center many times and said he always leaves feeling humbled. "You feel a mixture of humility, because the troops invariably say to you that all they want to do is get back to their units," he said. "No matter how badly wounded they are, what they are thinking about is the guys and gals they left on the battlefield."
He said he also feels thankful for the medical professionals in the hospital and for the groups who donate time, money and materials for the wounded warriors and their families.
Chairman Wraps Up Overseas Trip
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
July 22, 2007 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is back from an overseas trip that included an impromptu visit to a former insurgent stronghold in Iraq. A previously unscheduled visit to downtown Ramadi on July 17 highlighted Marine Gen. Peter Pace's weeklong trip to Iraq, Afghanistan and Germany. After visiting with soldiers and Marines at a forward operating base in Ramadi, the chairman was due to fly to Tikrit, but a dust storm blew in and grounded all the helicopters, leaving th chairman with time on his hands.
Army Col. John Charlton, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team, invited Pace to use the unscheduled time on the ground in Ramadi to see for himself what it was like downtown. The trip would have been impossible just three months ago. Al Qaeda terrorists had intimidated the population and had the run of the city. Marines and soldiers could not move inside the city without drawing small-arms fire.
But the trip downtown went without incident. Pace and his party visited the city's mayor, and the general walked through a bazaar and met with vendors as children, parents and Iraqis of every stripe gathered to see what was happening.
Pace next visited a joint security station and a combat outpost, where he met with Marines in the same battalion he served with in Vietnam in 1968 – the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines.
There were no incidents, no firing, no improvised explosive devices during the trip. Pace called the change in Ramadi a "sea change" in Iraq, one that has spread to all of Anbar province and is making inroads in Baghdad.
Pace started the Iraq portion of his overseas trip in Baghdad for a series of meetings with Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker. Pace spoke with the men in anticipation of the assessment of progress in Iraq that's due to Congress in September.
Pace said the Joint Staff has been working for months on any number of possibilities that could unfold in Iraq. "That way, we have the planning done no matter what the decision – plus-up, go-down or maintain," he said to reporters traveling with him. "From my perspective in D.C., I've got to do the homework that allows the national leadership to do whatever route they want to take."
Pace said it is important that Petraeus and his staff, Navy Adm. William J. Fallon's staff at CENTCOM, and the Joint Staff continue to examine the situation in Iraq from their different perspectives.
"As we get closer to September, we'll start sharing ideas, but none of us wants to get too wrapped up in the other team's thinking, so we don't end up with groupthink," Pace said.
Pace capped the long day with meetings with Multinational Corps Iraq leader Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno.
The next day, Pace met with leaders of Multinational Division Baghdad at Camp Victory. After the meeting he met with servicemembers of the division and held a question-and-answer session with them, a practice that proved to be an important part of every stop for the chairman.
Pace said he wanted to thank servicemembers for their service, and to explain personally to soldiers the reasoning behind the decision to extend their deployments to 15 months.
"I owe it to them to stand in front of them and explain to them the process that we went through from July through December last year," he said to reporters traveling with him. "(I want to tell them) how my thinking emerged, why I made the recommendations I did, and most importantly, tell them that we understand their sacrifice."
He next went to Multinational Division Central, where he re-enlisted 42 soldiers and held another town hall meeting before traveling to Ramadi.
After leaving Ramadi, the chairman flew via C-17 to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, where he arrived at 2:30 a.m. He got up at 6 a.m. and engaged in a full day of activities, first meeting with leaders of Combined Joint Task Force 82 and then holding a town hall meeting at the base's clamshell-shaped auditorium.
He then traveled to the Afghan capital of Kabul and went to meetings with U.S. Army Gen. Dan McNeill, commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force, and with Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak. With the minister, he discussed accelerating training of the Afghan security forces and the possibility of sending another U.S. brigade in the future to help the training mission.
Pace moved on and met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. The president surprised Pace by awarding him the Order of General Kahn, the highest decoration Afghanistan gives to foreigners.
The next day, Pace flew via C-130 to Jalalabad, Afghanistan, where he met with troopers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. He had an operations briefing and then conducted a town hall meeting with the paratroopers and their supporting units.
Pace left Jalalabad and flew to Kandahar, where he and his party boarded Black Hawk helicopters and flew to Qalat, the capital of Jalat province. He had met the governor of the province, Del Bar Jan Aman, during a previous visit. The governor wrote the chairman a letter and thanked him for all the Americans are doing in his province and invited him to drop by for another meeting if he had the chance. The chairman did just that.
Pace met with the governor and the governor's staff. Before leaving, the governor presented the chairman with a turban called a "longy" and the cape that Karzai has become identified with, called a "balla push."
Pace then flew back to Kandahar and shifted to a C-17 for the seven-hour trip to Nurnberg to begin the Germany leg of his overseas trip.
The next day, Pace flew to Schweinfurt, where he met with the spouses of deployed servicemembers. Pace thanked the spouses for all they do to support their deployed servicemembers and for all they do to hold their families together. "You serve as well as anyone who has worn the uniform," Pace told them.
After the meeting, Pace spoke with every spouse and soldier present. He then visited U.S. European Command headquarters in Stuttgart, where he met with the EUCOM Commander Army Gen. Bantz J. Craddock and held a town hall for the staff.
The next day, Pace flew to Ramstein Air Base and then motored over to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. He visited with wounded servicemembers and presented the Purple Heart to an 82nd Airborne Division soldier, Spc. Colin Laird Pearcy, who was wounded in Sadr City, Iraq.
Pace has visited the medical center many times, and said he always leaves feeling humbled.
"You feel a mixture of humility, because the troops invariably say to you that all they want to do is get back to their units," he said. "No matter how badly wounded they are, what they are thinking about is the guys and gals they left on the battlefield."
The chairman spoke to the medical professionals and thanked them for their work in caring for returning servicemembers.
American Forces Press Service
July 22, 2007 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is back from an overseas trip that included an impromptu visit to a former insurgent stronghold in Iraq. A previously unscheduled visit to downtown Ramadi on July 17 highlighted Marine Gen. Peter Pace's weeklong trip to Iraq, Afghanistan and Germany. After visiting with soldiers and Marines at a forward operating base in Ramadi, the chairman was due to fly to Tikrit, but a dust storm blew in and grounded all the helicopters, leaving th chairman with time on his hands.
Army Col. John Charlton, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team, invited Pace to use the unscheduled time on the ground in Ramadi to see for himself what it was like downtown. The trip would have been impossible just three months ago. Al Qaeda terrorists had intimidated the population and had the run of the city. Marines and soldiers could not move inside the city without drawing small-arms fire.
But the trip downtown went without incident. Pace and his party visited the city's mayor, and the general walked through a bazaar and met with vendors as children, parents and Iraqis of every stripe gathered to see what was happening.
Pace next visited a joint security station and a combat outpost, where he met with Marines in the same battalion he served with in Vietnam in 1968 – the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines.
There were no incidents, no firing, no improvised explosive devices during the trip. Pace called the change in Ramadi a "sea change" in Iraq, one that has spread to all of Anbar province and is making inroads in Baghdad.
Pace started the Iraq portion of his overseas trip in Baghdad for a series of meetings with Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker. Pace spoke with the men in anticipation of the assessment of progress in Iraq that's due to Congress in September.
Pace said the Joint Staff has been working for months on any number of possibilities that could unfold in Iraq. "That way, we have the planning done no matter what the decision – plus-up, go-down or maintain," he said to reporters traveling with him. "From my perspective in D.C., I've got to do the homework that allows the national leadership to do whatever route they want to take."
Pace said it is important that Petraeus and his staff, Navy Adm. William J. Fallon's staff at CENTCOM, and the Joint Staff continue to examine the situation in Iraq from their different perspectives.
"As we get closer to September, we'll start sharing ideas, but none of us wants to get too wrapped up in the other team's thinking, so we don't end up with groupthink," Pace said.
Pace capped the long day with meetings with Multinational Corps Iraq leader Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno.
The next day, Pace met with leaders of Multinational Division Baghdad at Camp Victory. After the meeting he met with servicemembers of the division and held a question-and-answer session with them, a practice that proved to be an important part of every stop for the chairman.
Pace said he wanted to thank servicemembers for their service, and to explain personally to soldiers the reasoning behind the decision to extend their deployments to 15 months.
"I owe it to them to stand in front of them and explain to them the process that we went through from July through December last year," he said to reporters traveling with him. "(I want to tell them) how my thinking emerged, why I made the recommendations I did, and most importantly, tell them that we understand their sacrifice."
He next went to Multinational Division Central, where he re-enlisted 42 soldiers and held another town hall meeting before traveling to Ramadi.
After leaving Ramadi, the chairman flew via C-17 to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, where he arrived at 2:30 a.m. He got up at 6 a.m. and engaged in a full day of activities, first meeting with leaders of Combined Joint Task Force 82 and then holding a town hall meeting at the base's clamshell-shaped auditorium.
He then traveled to the Afghan capital of Kabul and went to meetings with U.S. Army Gen. Dan McNeill, commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force, and with Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak. With the minister, he discussed accelerating training of the Afghan security forces and the possibility of sending another U.S. brigade in the future to help the training mission.
Pace moved on and met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. The president surprised Pace by awarding him the Order of General Kahn, the highest decoration Afghanistan gives to foreigners.
The next day, Pace flew via C-130 to Jalalabad, Afghanistan, where he met with troopers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. He had an operations briefing and then conducted a town hall meeting with the paratroopers and their supporting units.
Pace left Jalalabad and flew to Kandahar, where he and his party boarded Black Hawk helicopters and flew to Qalat, the capital of Jalat province. He had met the governor of the province, Del Bar Jan Aman, during a previous visit. The governor wrote the chairman a letter and thanked him for all the Americans are doing in his province and invited him to drop by for another meeting if he had the chance. The chairman did just that.
Pace met with the governor and the governor's staff. Before leaving, the governor presented the chairman with a turban called a "longy" and the cape that Karzai has become identified with, called a "balla push."
Pace then flew back to Kandahar and shifted to a C-17 for the seven-hour trip to Nurnberg to begin the Germany leg of his overseas trip.
The next day, Pace flew to Schweinfurt, where he met with the spouses of deployed servicemembers. Pace thanked the spouses for all they do to support their deployed servicemembers and for all they do to hold their families together. "You serve as well as anyone who has worn the uniform," Pace told them.
After the meeting, Pace spoke with every spouse and soldier present. He then visited U.S. European Command headquarters in Stuttgart, where he met with the EUCOM Commander Army Gen. Bantz J. Craddock and held a town hall for the staff.
The next day, Pace flew to Ramstein Air Base and then motored over to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. He visited with wounded servicemembers and presented the Purple Heart to an 82nd Airborne Division soldier, Spc. Colin Laird Pearcy, who was wounded in Sadr City, Iraq.
Pace has visited the medical center many times, and said he always leaves feeling humbled.
"You feel a mixture of humility, because the troops invariably say to you that all they want to do is get back to their units," he said. "No matter how badly wounded they are, what they are thinking about is the guys and gals they left on the battlefield."
The chairman spoke to the medical professionals and thanked them for their work in caring for returning servicemembers.
Budweiser, NASCAR Fans Race to Support Troops
American Forces Press Service
July 20, 2007 – Earlier this season, Budweiser and race-car driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. drew attention to a little-known charity with big aspirations. The NASCAR nation responded en masse, allowing Budweiser to donate $100,000 to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which provides full-ride college scholarships to surviving children of special operations personnel killed in combat or training missions, and immediate financial assistance to special operations personnel severely wounded in the global war on terror.
"Special operations personnel are hand-picked for the most treacherous of missions, and we felt Budweiser needed to show these brave men and women that Americans support and appreciate their courage," said Randall Blackford, director for Anheuser-Bush's Budweiser brand. "Anheuser-Busch has supported our nation's military and their families for more than 150 years, and we're honored to make this contribution to the efforts of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation."
Budweiser and Earnhardt raced two military-themed paint schemes in 2007. Budweiser's brown and beige "Desert Camo" car raced Memorial Day weekend during the Coca-Cola 600 in honor of fallen soldiers. The red, white and blue "Stars and Stripes" car ran in the Pepsi 400 and served as a salute to all those who currently serve.
The proceeds from the sale of collectible die-cast cars were earmarked for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.
"Through the generosity of Budweiser and the support of NASCAR fans, children of fallen special operations personnel will be reminded that there are caring Americans who recognize the sacrifices that their parents have made and that they want them to succeed in life with a college education," said John T. Carney Jr., Special Operations Warrior Foundation's president and chief executive officer. "This donation also serves as a salute to all of the men and women serving in harm's way all around the globe."
The Special Operation Warrior Foundation is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
For more than 27 years, the foundation has provided college scholarship grants for tuition, books, fees, room and board to surviving children of special operations personnel killed in combat or training missions.
The foundation has nearly 700 children in its program, and provided $1.5 million in college scholarship grants, educational, financial aid and family counseling for 109 students who attended 73 colleges and universities in 2006. With an estimated 120-125 students eligible for college each year, the Foundation's estimated financial need is nearly $76 million.
July 20, 2007 – Earlier this season, Budweiser and race-car driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. drew attention to a little-known charity with big aspirations. The NASCAR nation responded en masse, allowing Budweiser to donate $100,000 to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which provides full-ride college scholarships to surviving children of special operations personnel killed in combat or training missions, and immediate financial assistance to special operations personnel severely wounded in the global war on terror.
"Special operations personnel are hand-picked for the most treacherous of missions, and we felt Budweiser needed to show these brave men and women that Americans support and appreciate their courage," said Randall Blackford, director for Anheuser-Bush's Budweiser brand. "Anheuser-Busch has supported our nation's military and their families for more than 150 years, and we're honored to make this contribution to the efforts of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation."
Budweiser and Earnhardt raced two military-themed paint schemes in 2007. Budweiser's brown and beige "Desert Camo" car raced Memorial Day weekend during the Coca-Cola 600 in honor of fallen soldiers. The red, white and blue "Stars and Stripes" car ran in the Pepsi 400 and served as a salute to all those who currently serve.
The proceeds from the sale of collectible die-cast cars were earmarked for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.
"Through the generosity of Budweiser and the support of NASCAR fans, children of fallen special operations personnel will be reminded that there are caring Americans who recognize the sacrifices that their parents have made and that they want them to succeed in life with a college education," said John T. Carney Jr., Special Operations Warrior Foundation's president and chief executive officer. "This donation also serves as a salute to all of the men and women serving in harm's way all around the globe."
The Special Operation Warrior Foundation is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
For more than 27 years, the foundation has provided college scholarship grants for tuition, books, fees, room and board to surviving children of special operations personnel killed in combat or training missions.
The foundation has nearly 700 children in its program, and provided $1.5 million in college scholarship grants, educational, financial aid and family counseling for 109 students who attended 73 colleges and universities in 2006. With an estimated 120-125 students eligible for college each year, the Foundation's estimated financial need is nearly $76 million.
Missing WWII Sailor is Identified
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is Fireman 3rd Class Alfred E. Livingston, U.S. Navy, of Worthington, Ind. He will be buried on Saturday in Worthington.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Livingston was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma when it was attacked by Japanese torpedo aircraft and capsized in Pearl Harbor. The ship sustained massive casualties. Livingston was one of hundreds declared killed in action whose body was not recovered. In the aftermath of the attack, some remains were recovered from the waters of Pearl Harbor. One set of sailor's remains was recovered and thought to be associated with the USS Arizona losses. However, when efforts to identify the sailor failed, it was inconclusive what ship he was assigned to and he was buried as an unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as The Punchbowl.
In 2006, a Pearl Harbor survivor and researcher, contacted the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) and suggested that the biological and dental information on file for the unknown sailor may be correlated with Livingston's personnel file. JPAC's analysts studied the documentation and found enough evidence to support the researcher's findings that Livingston was actually recovered after the war even though he was originally listed as one of the hundreds of unrecoverable servicemen from the attack on Pearl Harbor. In February 2007, the grave for the unknown sailor was exhumed.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC also used dental comparisons in the identification of Livingston's remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/ or call (703) 699-1420.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Livingston was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma when it was attacked by Japanese torpedo aircraft and capsized in Pearl Harbor. The ship sustained massive casualties. Livingston was one of hundreds declared killed in action whose body was not recovered. In the aftermath of the attack, some remains were recovered from the waters of Pearl Harbor. One set of sailor's remains was recovered and thought to be associated with the USS Arizona losses. However, when efforts to identify the sailor failed, it was inconclusive what ship he was assigned to and he was buried as an unknown in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, known as The Punchbowl.
In 2006, a Pearl Harbor survivor and researcher, contacted the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) and suggested that the biological and dental information on file for the unknown sailor may be correlated with Livingston's personnel file. JPAC's analysts studied the documentation and found enough evidence to support the researcher's findings that Livingston was actually recovered after the war even though he was originally listed as one of the hundreds of unrecoverable servicemen from the attack on Pearl Harbor. In February 2007, the grave for the unknown sailor was exhumed.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC also used dental comparisons in the identification of Livingston's remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/ or call (703) 699-1420.
Recruiting Standards Remain High, Defense Official Says
By Carmen L. Gleason
American Forces Press Service
July 20, 2007 - Today's military is a "remarkable, high-quality" group of people who are better educated, more physically fit and more "morally square" than the average American, a top military official told the American Forces Press Service. Despite recent media reports to the contrary, the Defense Department has not compromised its standards to meet recruiting goals, said Bill Carr, deputy undersecretary of defense for military personnel policy.
"That's just not the case," Carr said. "Two-thirds of troops are drawn from the top half in math and verbal aptitude (tests); and 90 percent or more have a high school diploma, compared to about 80 percent of American youth. So, by any measure of the military, this is far above average."
Though the recruiting challenge often is ascribed simply to the operational circumstance, it is far bigger than that –the economy is the principal factor, he said. With the unemployment rate being at a low 4 and a half percent, there are numerous job opportunities for America's youth.
"As we try to meet the challenge of recruiting people in the midst of a very strong economy, then we'll look at ways that we can safely allow people who may have been disqualified to come aboard," Carr said.
Potential recruits may be disqualified from joining the military due to stringent medical, moral, aptitude or administrative requirements. However, the military has historically offered waivers to a small percentage of those who are disqualified on a case-by-case basis. And for the past four years, the number of recruiting waivers has remained near 20 percent.
"Waivers aren't new; waivers have been with us for a number of years," Carr said, "and the frequency of waivers continues to be pretty modest."
For example, Carr said, individuals with asthma often were judged too harshly and barred from joining the military. However, adjustments have been made to allow a wider group of people with asthma to safely serve in the military after being approved by an epidemiologist.
Waivers for conduct or character are allowed on an individual basis, he said.
"Sometimes the media will suggest they are for great and high crime," Carr said, "that's simply not the case; those would normally not be waived." Multiple traffic violations or misdemeanors are the most typical sources for character waivers, he said, but there are occasional instances when a waiver for a felony will be granted.
Most often these are felony arrests that have been dismissed or adjudicated as something less than a felony. For example, a young person sets a beehive on fire and it catches to a shed, therefore the charge is arson. "It was something that started out big in title, but was considered a small matter to the judge and to the community," he said.
Defense officials recognize that some young people have made mistakes, but have overcome their past behavior and have demonstrated the potential for being productive members of the military, Carr said.
"When we're looking at a waiver, we're looking at what the community had to say about a person – those are the parents, teachers, coaches and clergy," he said. "They know the person best, and if they recommend the person, then that carries some weight."
Carr said the waiver system is successful since the service of those who come in with a waiver is indistinguishable from those who don't.
For example, Army Cpl. Angelo Vaccaro enlisted as a combat medic in 2004 after being granted a waiver. While deployed with the 10th Mountain Division to Afghanistan in 2006, he was killed by enemy forces while attempting to recover wounded soldiers from the battlefield.
Vaccaro was the first servicemember to receive two Silver Star medals in the global war on terror. He and a fellow medic were honored by the division when an installation medical training facility was named after them in June.
"We're doing the right thing by listening to the community, and their performance bears it out," Carr said. "We occasionally allow a person to falter and still come aboard, and that's exactly what the nation would have us do."
American Forces Press Service
July 20, 2007 - Today's military is a "remarkable, high-quality" group of people who are better educated, more physically fit and more "morally square" than the average American, a top military official told the American Forces Press Service. Despite recent media reports to the contrary, the Defense Department has not compromised its standards to meet recruiting goals, said Bill Carr, deputy undersecretary of defense for military personnel policy.
"That's just not the case," Carr said. "Two-thirds of troops are drawn from the top half in math and verbal aptitude (tests); and 90 percent or more have a high school diploma, compared to about 80 percent of American youth. So, by any measure of the military, this is far above average."
Though the recruiting challenge often is ascribed simply to the operational circumstance, it is far bigger than that –the economy is the principal factor, he said. With the unemployment rate being at a low 4 and a half percent, there are numerous job opportunities for America's youth.
"As we try to meet the challenge of recruiting people in the midst of a very strong economy, then we'll look at ways that we can safely allow people who may have been disqualified to come aboard," Carr said.
Potential recruits may be disqualified from joining the military due to stringent medical, moral, aptitude or administrative requirements. However, the military has historically offered waivers to a small percentage of those who are disqualified on a case-by-case basis. And for the past four years, the number of recruiting waivers has remained near 20 percent.
"Waivers aren't new; waivers have been with us for a number of years," Carr said, "and the frequency of waivers continues to be pretty modest."
For example, Carr said, individuals with asthma often were judged too harshly and barred from joining the military. However, adjustments have been made to allow a wider group of people with asthma to safely serve in the military after being approved by an epidemiologist.
Waivers for conduct or character are allowed on an individual basis, he said.
"Sometimes the media will suggest they are for great and high crime," Carr said, "that's simply not the case; those would normally not be waived." Multiple traffic violations or misdemeanors are the most typical sources for character waivers, he said, but there are occasional instances when a waiver for a felony will be granted.
Most often these are felony arrests that have been dismissed or adjudicated as something less than a felony. For example, a young person sets a beehive on fire and it catches to a shed, therefore the charge is arson. "It was something that started out big in title, but was considered a small matter to the judge and to the community," he said.
Defense officials recognize that some young people have made mistakes, but have overcome their past behavior and have demonstrated the potential for being productive members of the military, Carr said.
"When we're looking at a waiver, we're looking at what the community had to say about a person – those are the parents, teachers, coaches and clergy," he said. "They know the person best, and if they recommend the person, then that carries some weight."
Carr said the waiver system is successful since the service of those who come in with a waiver is indistinguishable from those who don't.
For example, Army Cpl. Angelo Vaccaro enlisted as a combat medic in 2004 after being granted a waiver. While deployed with the 10th Mountain Division to Afghanistan in 2006, he was killed by enemy forces while attempting to recover wounded soldiers from the battlefield.
Vaccaro was the first servicemember to receive two Silver Star medals in the global war on terror. He and a fellow medic were honored by the division when an installation medical training facility was named after them in June.
"We're doing the right thing by listening to the community, and their performance bears it out," Carr said. "We occasionally allow a person to falter and still come aboard, and that's exactly what the nation would have us do."
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Pace Thanks Spouses, Families for Sacrifices in War on Terror
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
July 20, 2007 - Over the past week, Marine Gen. Peter Pace personally thanked thousands of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan for their service. Today he traveled to this German city to thank their spouses for the very real sacrifices they and their families make in the war on terror. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff began his remarks at Conn Barracks with a simple statement: "Thank you for your service to the country."
The post here has soldiers of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Infantry Division deployed to Baghdad, and paratroopers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team deployed in Afghanistan. Both brigades will serve 15 months in combat.
Pace said the success of the soldiers is heavily dependent on the support the families give them.
"What I learned about families I learned most of all in my own kitchen," the general said. "When we deploy, you stay here and you pray we come home safe. You don't know when we're in trouble, therefore you worry every day.
"When we do come home safe, you stand in the background as we get our awards and you pretend you have nothing to do with it," he continued. "You had everything to do with it.
"When we get tired, you remind us of how important what we do is to you, to our families and to the nation. I've watched military families for 40 years. You serve this nation as well as anyone who has worn the uniform. I'm proud to stand before you and thank you for all you do to keep our nation free."
Pace said he owed them an explanation for why he recommended extending the deployment of the brigades from 12 months to 15. "If we had not extended your loved ones, they would be coming home much sooner than they are," he said.
The chairman traced the thinking that went into the decision. He said in January 2006, officials expected the number of U.S. brigades to drop from 15 to 10 by the end of the year. But in February, al Qaeda bombed the Golden Mosque in Samarra – a holy shrine to the Shiia branch of Islam.
Sectarian violence broke out and many Iraqis died in the unrest. By July 2006, it became apparent that the number of brigades would have to remain constant or even go up, Pace said.
Studies in September through November 2006 led to the decision to surge five brigade combat teams into Baghdad and its suburbs. He said the plan called for increasing the number of troops, along with the international community increasing economic development and the Iraqis making political progress.
"As we thought through how we were going to do that, we started to see that a brigade would be extended by 45 days, and another by 73 days and another by such and such amount of time," he said. "We were on a system where, about 90 days before folks were due to come home, we would then tell that unit that they were going to come home on time, or they would be extended X number of days.
"That just jerked people around," he continued. "It also did not let us plan long-term for the units coming in after that."
The right thing to do was to extend all active duty Army units going into the country to 15-month tours, he said. "So when you change the calendar on the refrigerator door, you did it once instead of every other week," Pace told the spouses. "You could have some kind of stability and knowledge of what was going to happen."
Their sacrifice has not been in vain, Pace told the spouses. The added troops have made a big difference on the battlefields of Iraq.
"We were walking the streets of Ramadi three days ago," he said. "Three months ago if you had told me I was going to be walking in the streets of Ramadi without fear of being shot at, I'd have told you that you were nuts."
In a question and answer session, Pace stressed the 15-month limit. One young wife wanted to know if the military was going to change its mind and extend the soldiers yet again.
"No more than 15 months. No more than 15 months," Pace stressed. "I'm dedicated to that; (Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates) is dedicated to that. Everybody in the Army leadership is dedicated to that, and we are focused on that."
The spouses were pleased with Pace's visit and remarks. "I'm surprised the general came here," said Clara Gaskins. "We're not exactly a crossroads of the world. He answered many of the questions that I hear people ask. We are all very concerned about the deployment length. Fifteen months is a long time. Some of the young families have babies and they'll be toddlers when the spouses come home."
Another spouse said she is willing to make the sacrifices, but wants to know if it is worth it. "We've lost many soldiers lately," Michelle Garner said. "We want to know if they are making a difference.(Pace) put that in perspective."
Pace said just having a chance to meet with the spouses was important to him.
"I told them that our families are as much a part of the defense of the United States as any of us who have the privilege of wearing the uniform," he said.
American Forces Press Service
July 20, 2007 - Over the past week, Marine Gen. Peter Pace personally thanked thousands of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan for their service. Today he traveled to this German city to thank their spouses for the very real sacrifices they and their families make in the war on terror. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff began his remarks at Conn Barracks with a simple statement: "Thank you for your service to the country."
The post here has soldiers of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Infantry Division deployed to Baghdad, and paratroopers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team deployed in Afghanistan. Both brigades will serve 15 months in combat.
Pace said the success of the soldiers is heavily dependent on the support the families give them.
"What I learned about families I learned most of all in my own kitchen," the general said. "When we deploy, you stay here and you pray we come home safe. You don't know when we're in trouble, therefore you worry every day.
"When we do come home safe, you stand in the background as we get our awards and you pretend you have nothing to do with it," he continued. "You had everything to do with it.
"When we get tired, you remind us of how important what we do is to you, to our families and to the nation. I've watched military families for 40 years. You serve this nation as well as anyone who has worn the uniform. I'm proud to stand before you and thank you for all you do to keep our nation free."
Pace said he owed them an explanation for why he recommended extending the deployment of the brigades from 12 months to 15. "If we had not extended your loved ones, they would be coming home much sooner than they are," he said.
The chairman traced the thinking that went into the decision. He said in January 2006, officials expected the number of U.S. brigades to drop from 15 to 10 by the end of the year. But in February, al Qaeda bombed the Golden Mosque in Samarra – a holy shrine to the Shiia branch of Islam.
Sectarian violence broke out and many Iraqis died in the unrest. By July 2006, it became apparent that the number of brigades would have to remain constant or even go up, Pace said.
Studies in September through November 2006 led to the decision to surge five brigade combat teams into Baghdad and its suburbs. He said the plan called for increasing the number of troops, along with the international community increasing economic development and the Iraqis making political progress.
"As we thought through how we were going to do that, we started to see that a brigade would be extended by 45 days, and another by 73 days and another by such and such amount of time," he said. "We were on a system where, about 90 days before folks were due to come home, we would then tell that unit that they were going to come home on time, or they would be extended X number of days.
"That just jerked people around," he continued. "It also did not let us plan long-term for the units coming in after that."
The right thing to do was to extend all active duty Army units going into the country to 15-month tours, he said. "So when you change the calendar on the refrigerator door, you did it once instead of every other week," Pace told the spouses. "You could have some kind of stability and knowledge of what was going to happen."
Their sacrifice has not been in vain, Pace told the spouses. The added troops have made a big difference on the battlefields of Iraq.
"We were walking the streets of Ramadi three days ago," he said. "Three months ago if you had told me I was going to be walking in the streets of Ramadi without fear of being shot at, I'd have told you that you were nuts."
In a question and answer session, Pace stressed the 15-month limit. One young wife wanted to know if the military was going to change its mind and extend the soldiers yet again.
"No more than 15 months. No more than 15 months," Pace stressed. "I'm dedicated to that; (Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates) is dedicated to that. Everybody in the Army leadership is dedicated to that, and we are focused on that."
The spouses were pleased with Pace's visit and remarks. "I'm surprised the general came here," said Clara Gaskins. "We're not exactly a crossroads of the world. He answered many of the questions that I hear people ask. We are all very concerned about the deployment length. Fifteen months is a long time. Some of the young families have babies and they'll be toddlers when the spouses come home."
Another spouse said she is willing to make the sacrifices, but wants to know if it is worth it. "We've lost many soldiers lately," Michelle Garner said. "We want to know if they are making a difference.(Pace) put that in perspective."
Pace said just having a chance to meet with the spouses was important to him.
"I told them that our families are as much a part of the defense of the United States as any of us who have the privilege of wearing the uniform," he said.
Some TRICARE Beneficiary Data Put At Risk
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
July 20, 2007 - Data for nearly 600,000 households enrolled in TRICARE stored on a government-contractor's unprotected computer server could have been exposed to hackers, defense officials announced today. "We take this potential data compromise very seriously," said Army Maj. Gen. Elder Granger, deputy director, TRICARE Management Activity. "The risk has been identified as low, but as a result of this unfortunate event, the Department of Defense is ensuring that steps are taken to keep affected beneficiaries informed."
Beneficiaries' names, addresses, Social Security Numbers, birth dates and some health information was stored on a computer server that was not using a firewall and did not have adequate password protection, TRICARE Management Activity officials said.
Officials disabled the server in May, and it is no longer used. Forensic analysis of the server found no evidence that any beneficiary information was compromised, said Leslie Shaffer, assistant privacy officer at the activity.
Science Applications International Corp. maintained the data in Shalimar, Fla., and used it to process several military health care contracts, including those for customers in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. The server allowed for File Transfer Protocol transmissions of the data to its contract customers.
This is the first time SAIC has violated Defense Department computer security procedures, Shaffer said.
The TRICARE security breach was discovered after contract customers reported non-secure transmissions of data. SAIC is investigating and some employees have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome, a company release stated.
"I can assure you that the individuals responsible for managing that server were not following standard operating procedures. DoD has very strict guidance on how we protect sensitive data," Shaffer said.
Since May, SAIC has been processing the data, matching it with contact information so the beneficiaries could be notified.
"We're taking precautions to do everything we can within DoD, Health Affairs and the TRICARE Management Activity to ensure that our beneficiaries are notified," Shaffer said. "We have been working closely with SAIC to ensure all our procedures are being followed."
DoD and SAIC are mailing letters this week to beneficiaries whose data was put at risk. An incident response center has been setup to field customer's toll-free calls and information is available through a Website for those who suspect identity theft, or who want to protect themselves from identity theft.
Beneficiaries who were put at risk are also being offered a free, one-year subscription to an identity restoration service, she said.
"I think anyone who receives a letter should take the protections that are necessary to ensure their data has not been compromised," she said. "Those numbers are available. I would recommend that the beneficiary use those numbers."
The incident response center can be reached toll free within the United States at 1-888-862-2680, or collect at 1-515-365-3550 from outside the United States.
American Forces Press Service
July 20, 2007 - Data for nearly 600,000 households enrolled in TRICARE stored on a government-contractor's unprotected computer server could have been exposed to hackers, defense officials announced today. "We take this potential data compromise very seriously," said Army Maj. Gen. Elder Granger, deputy director, TRICARE Management Activity. "The risk has been identified as low, but as a result of this unfortunate event, the Department of Defense is ensuring that steps are taken to keep affected beneficiaries informed."
Beneficiaries' names, addresses, Social Security Numbers, birth dates and some health information was stored on a computer server that was not using a firewall and did not have adequate password protection, TRICARE Management Activity officials said.
Officials disabled the server in May, and it is no longer used. Forensic analysis of the server found no evidence that any beneficiary information was compromised, said Leslie Shaffer, assistant privacy officer at the activity.
Science Applications International Corp. maintained the data in Shalimar, Fla., and used it to process several military health care contracts, including those for customers in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. The server allowed for File Transfer Protocol transmissions of the data to its contract customers.
This is the first time SAIC has violated Defense Department computer security procedures, Shaffer said.
The TRICARE security breach was discovered after contract customers reported non-secure transmissions of data. SAIC is investigating and some employees have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome, a company release stated.
"I can assure you that the individuals responsible for managing that server were not following standard operating procedures. DoD has very strict guidance on how we protect sensitive data," Shaffer said.
Since May, SAIC has been processing the data, matching it with contact information so the beneficiaries could be notified.
"We're taking precautions to do everything we can within DoD, Health Affairs and the TRICARE Management Activity to ensure that our beneficiaries are notified," Shaffer said. "We have been working closely with SAIC to ensure all our procedures are being followed."
DoD and SAIC are mailing letters this week to beneficiaries whose data was put at risk. An incident response center has been setup to field customer's toll-free calls and information is available through a Website for those who suspect identity theft, or who want to protect themselves from identity theft.
Beneficiaries who were put at risk are also being offered a free, one-year subscription to an identity restoration service, she said.
"I think anyone who receives a letter should take the protections that are necessary to ensure their data has not been compromised," she said. "Those numbers are available. I would recommend that the beneficiary use those numbers."
The incident response center can be reached toll free within the United States at 1-888-862-2680, or collect at 1-515-365-3550 from outside the United States.
Servicemembers Benefit from Financial Management Programs, Official Says
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
July 20, 2007 - The Defense Department is committed to helping servicemembers and their families become good personal finance managers, a senior official said yesterday in Hawaii. Most young people leave high school without any financial management education, David S.C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said at a National Association of Federal Credit Unions' meeting in Honolulu.
"As a result, our people tend to possess little experience in making the financial decisions that will impact their financial well-being and their financial future," Chu pointed out, noting that about 46 percent of military members are age 25 or younger.
As part of President Bush's February 2001 call to improve military quality of life, he said, the department developed a social compact designed to focus its commitment in caring for servicemember and family needs.
"This social compact includes personal finances as an integral part of the quality of life in the military, and seeks to support the families' needs by providing financial awareness, education, skill-building and counseling programs," he said.
Having good money management skills is especially important for young military families, he said, noting that 38 percent of servicemembers age 25 or younger are married. About 21 percent of these couples have children.
"We equate financial readiness with mission readiness," Chu said, pointing to the findings of a 2005 servicemember survey that rated finances to be more stress inducing than deployments, health concerns, life events and personal relationships. Only work and career concerns, he said, were rated as higher stressors in the survey.
The department established a financial readiness campaign in May 2003.
"Our simple goal is to establish a financial culture that instills and promotes good credit, regular savings, including savings for emergencies, retirement savings and participation in the Servicemembers Group Life Insurance program," Chu said.
The department promotes good money management practices through ongoing education programs delivered by the service branches to military members and their families, he said. Each year the defense department provides more than 12,000 financial education classes to more than 340,000 servicemembers and their spouses.
To enhance its financial awareness efforts, the department has partnered with more than 25 federal agencies and non-profit organizations, Chu said. For example, by working with the American Savings Education Council, he said, the department maintains a flow of public service announcements that extol the benefits of saving for the future through its American Forces Radio and Television Service.
The department also sponsors a series of worldwide financial-management seminars for servicemembers and their families as part of the "Moneywise in the Military" campaign, he said.
Last year the department kicked off its "Military Saves" campaign that urges servicemembers and families "to build wealth and not debt," Chu said.
More than 80,000 military families took some type of positive action regarding their personal finances as the result of the first "Military Saves" campaign week that was held February 25 to March 4 last year, he said.
The next Military Saves week will be held February 24 to March 2, 2008.
"We look forward to increasing the numbers of military savers through our continued cooperation with our financial readiness partners, including our defense credit unions," Chu said.
American Forces Press Service
July 20, 2007 - The Defense Department is committed to helping servicemembers and their families become good personal finance managers, a senior official said yesterday in Hawaii. Most young people leave high school without any financial management education, David S.C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said at a National Association of Federal Credit Unions' meeting in Honolulu.
"As a result, our people tend to possess little experience in making the financial decisions that will impact their financial well-being and their financial future," Chu pointed out, noting that about 46 percent of military members are age 25 or younger.
As part of President Bush's February 2001 call to improve military quality of life, he said, the department developed a social compact designed to focus its commitment in caring for servicemember and family needs.
"This social compact includes personal finances as an integral part of the quality of life in the military, and seeks to support the families' needs by providing financial awareness, education, skill-building and counseling programs," he said.
Having good money management skills is especially important for young military families, he said, noting that 38 percent of servicemembers age 25 or younger are married. About 21 percent of these couples have children.
"We equate financial readiness with mission readiness," Chu said, pointing to the findings of a 2005 servicemember survey that rated finances to be more stress inducing than deployments, health concerns, life events and personal relationships. Only work and career concerns, he said, were rated as higher stressors in the survey.
The department established a financial readiness campaign in May 2003.
"Our simple goal is to establish a financial culture that instills and promotes good credit, regular savings, including savings for emergencies, retirement savings and participation in the Servicemembers Group Life Insurance program," Chu said.
The department promotes good money management practices through ongoing education programs delivered by the service branches to military members and their families, he said. Each year the defense department provides more than 12,000 financial education classes to more than 340,000 servicemembers and their spouses.
To enhance its financial awareness efforts, the department has partnered with more than 25 federal agencies and non-profit organizations, Chu said. For example, by working with the American Savings Education Council, he said, the department maintains a flow of public service announcements that extol the benefits of saving for the future through its American Forces Radio and Television Service.
The department also sponsors a series of worldwide financial-management seminars for servicemembers and their families as part of the "Moneywise in the Military" campaign, he said.
Last year the department kicked off its "Military Saves" campaign that urges servicemembers and families "to build wealth and not debt," Chu said.
More than 80,000 military families took some type of positive action regarding their personal finances as the result of the first "Military Saves" campaign week that was held February 25 to March 4 last year, he said.
The next Military Saves week will be held February 24 to March 2, 2008.
"We look forward to increasing the numbers of military savers through our continued cooperation with our financial readiness partners, including our defense credit unions," Chu said.
Servicemembers Are Group's Driving Force
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
July 20, 2007 - What began as a shared love of German cars has morphed through friendship into a passion to honor, educate and entertain servicemembers, Operation Wheels of Freedom's program director said. "We are a group of committed car guys who want to do our part to say thanks to the men and women of the armed services for their dedicated service to our country," David Muyres said. "Being 'car guys' we chose to do it using cars."
To complete its mission, Operation Wheels of Freedom brings high performance American-made vehicles to the troops for a hands-on look, he said. It also provides them the opportunity to develop safer driving habits.
"Our primary program is having exciting driving events right on military bases," Muyres said. "Servicemen and women practice safe, competent driving skills ... and simultaneously (experience) one of the most fun and satisfying experiences of their lives."
A video on the group's Web site shows Marines from different installations navigating a driving course in several vehicles sure to make even an environmentalist do a double take.
The "Grin Factor," as Muyres called it, said it all: "I had the most fun of my life," one Marine from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., said with a huge smile. He had just driven one of the program's vehicles. The group's fleet includes Ford Mustangs, a Dodge Viper and a Pontiac GTO.
"That car was the best thing," he said. "I want to get one now."
The Marines interviewed for the video also said they learned a thing or two about how to improve their driving. That's an important facet of Operation Wheels of Freedom's program, Muyres said.
Considering the high rate of vehicle-related injury and death among active duty personnel returning from deployment it's more important than the entertainment value, but that's what makes the message stick, he added.
"Our program welcomes them back and helps them remember the seriousness of this issue," Muyres said. "By being entertaining at the same time, the message is stronger and has a much higher retention rate."
More than more than 3,000 servicemembers on four bases have heard Operation Wheels of Freedom's message since its start in 2004. Program officials hope to deliver their message to 20,000 servicemembers the next time they take their car show to military installations, Muyres said.
Operation Wheels of Freedom also is available to family members.
"At each base we set aside one of the days as 'Family Day' and give rides to the spouses and kids that are on base," Muyres said. "One of our sponsors, Mattel, has also made available many thousands of large Hot Wheels cars that we have given away to the kids."
America Supports You connects citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
Operation Wheels of Freedom is a new member of the Defense Department's America Supports You program Being a member of the program has afforded the group greater credibility and helped legitimize its efforts, Muyres said.
American Forces Press Service
July 20, 2007 - What began as a shared love of German cars has morphed through friendship into a passion to honor, educate and entertain servicemembers, Operation Wheels of Freedom's program director said. "We are a group of committed car guys who want to do our part to say thanks to the men and women of the armed services for their dedicated service to our country," David Muyres said. "Being 'car guys' we chose to do it using cars."
To complete its mission, Operation Wheels of Freedom brings high performance American-made vehicles to the troops for a hands-on look, he said. It also provides them the opportunity to develop safer driving habits.
"Our primary program is having exciting driving events right on military bases," Muyres said. "Servicemen and women practice safe, competent driving skills ... and simultaneously (experience) one of the most fun and satisfying experiences of their lives."
A video on the group's Web site shows Marines from different installations navigating a driving course in several vehicles sure to make even an environmentalist do a double take.
The "Grin Factor," as Muyres called it, said it all: "I had the most fun of my life," one Marine from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., said with a huge smile. He had just driven one of the program's vehicles. The group's fleet includes Ford Mustangs, a Dodge Viper and a Pontiac GTO.
"That car was the best thing," he said. "I want to get one now."
The Marines interviewed for the video also said they learned a thing or two about how to improve their driving. That's an important facet of Operation Wheels of Freedom's program, Muyres said.
Considering the high rate of vehicle-related injury and death among active duty personnel returning from deployment it's more important than the entertainment value, but that's what makes the message stick, he added.
"Our program welcomes them back and helps them remember the seriousness of this issue," Muyres said. "By being entertaining at the same time, the message is stronger and has a much higher retention rate."
More than more than 3,000 servicemembers on four bases have heard Operation Wheels of Freedom's message since its start in 2004. Program officials hope to deliver their message to 20,000 servicemembers the next time they take their car show to military installations, Muyres said.
Operation Wheels of Freedom also is available to family members.
"At each base we set aside one of the days as 'Family Day' and give rides to the spouses and kids that are on base," Muyres said. "One of our sponsors, Mattel, has also made available many thousands of large Hot Wheels cars that we have given away to the kids."
America Supports You connects citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
Operation Wheels of Freedom is a new member of the Defense Department's America Supports You program Being a member of the program has afforded the group greater credibility and helped legitimize its efforts, Muyres said.
Guard, Reserve Forces Need Experienced Leaders to Adapt to Changes
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
July 20, 2007 - Experienced people in the military's seven reserve components should exert their leadership skills as they help their respective components adapt to new challenges and demands, their top officers said yesterday. "We need your leadership. We need your view, and it needs to be a joint view," Army Lt. Gen. Clyde A. Vaughn, commander of the Army National Guard, told about 140 senior officers and noncommissioned officers attending the Reserve Components National Security Course.
The National Defense University presents the course for reserve and National Guard members moving on to joint command management and staff jobs in multinational, intergovernmental or joint national security settings.
Vaughn joined senior leaders from the Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Coast Guard Reserve and Air National Guard during a panel discussion to offer a Washington viewpoint of the challenges the reserve components face.
He noted the huge changes within the Army National Guard over the past six years that have taken it from a strategic to an operational reserve deeply committed to the war on terror. New policies, procedures and processes had to be put in place to support the shift. More resources had to be directed to the Guard. Recruiting strategies needed to change so the Guard could continue filling its ranks with high-quality members. It began modularizing the force.
Vaughn said more changes are needed, but that those already made are creating "as powerful a National Guard as we have probably had at any time in our nation."
"It is a part of history for all time," Vaughn said. "And it took changing an institution."
Vaughn told the class members they, too, will be faced with these challenges as they assume ever-more-responsible positions within their components. "You will have to lead institutional change," he said.
Brig. Gen. David Blackledge, commander of the Army Reserve's 352nd Civil Affairs Command, emphasized the vast civilian skills members of the reserve components are bringing to that effort.
More than 175,000 of these "skill-rich warrior-citizens" have been mobilized since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, he said, and this rate is likely to continue for the foreseeable future, he said.
That will demand continued changes in the way the service is structured and trains and mobilizes its troops, he said. Among the changes being instituted is a deployment schedule that gives more predictability for reservists, their families and their employers, and more emphasis on training before mobilization, he said.
The old paradigm for the reserve components was to mobilize, train, and deploy, in that order, he said. "We are changing to train, mobilize, then deploy. So we are providing a lot of the training that would have taken place post-mobilization to pre-mobilization."
Lt. Gen. John Bergman, commander of Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces North, shared Blackledge's concern about the challenges reserve component members face as they balance the competing demands of their military and civilian careers.
Reservists need more predictability than the active force so they can maintain that balance, he said. "For the reserve component, our employers don't really care whether we are across the street or across the world," he said. "All they know is that we are not at that desk."
Bergman advocated a rotation schedule that provides one year away – factoring in pre-deployment training, deployment and post-deployment processing – followed by five years at home before another deployment.
Capt. Harry Myers, deputy chief of the Navy Reserve, described its shift from a Cold War construct designed "to greet the Soviets as they came through the Greenland-Iceland-Norway gap."
Change has taken place "at light-speed pace," he said, with reservists no longer spending the bulk of their time at their local reserve centers – now called Navy operational support centers.
"It's unusual to see them there, because they are ordinarily at their gaining command. They are out there in those units that best support the fleet and bring that capability," Myers said. "And quite frankly, the fleet values these folks far more than ever before."
Since 9/11, 41,000 of the Navy Reserve's 70,000 people have deployed, often serving in untraditional roles, he said. "Many times in the Gulf, we have more sailors there with boots on ground in the desert than we have sailors on the ships in the Gulf," Myers told the group. "And it's because it's one team, one fight."
Maj. Gen. Rita Aragon, the Air National Guard assistant to the Air Force's deputy chief of staff for manpower and personnel, cited big strategic issues facing the Air Guard. It's looking at ways to develop "adaptable airmen" who can move between jobs and weapons systems as needed, and a more agile force.
"We need to be a more agile force to be able to do whatever it is our nation wants us to do," she said.
Aragon acknowledged there's "a lot of angst" as the Air Guard downsizes its force and converts some of its units and missions. "So we are trying to find out what kind of career paths do we really need to develop and what kind of people do we need to have for these and what kind of weapons systems are we going to use," she said. "And those are crucial issues on a strategic level," she said.
Brig. Gen. Charles Ethredge, deputy chief of the Air Force Reserve, said his component faces many of the Air Guard's same concerns as it, too, undergoes sweeping changes.
The Air Force's Future Total Force initiative is cutting through traditional roles for the Air Force Reserve as well as the Air Guard to increase overall combat capability. At the same time, Base Realignment and Closure plans and the force reduction efforts are having a big impact on the Air Force Reserve and its members.
Ethredge said the Air Force Reserve is facing up to these challenges as it works take care of its people and identify ways for them to continue serving.
Coast Guard Rear Adm. J. Timothy Riker, director of the Coast Guard Reserve's Deployable Operations Group Commissioning Cell, cited the component's increased role in promoting security both at home and overseas.
Riker, a retired reservist, was reactivated to stand up the group that's considered a centerpiece of the Coast Guard's tougher security measures.
American Forces Press Service
July 20, 2007 - Experienced people in the military's seven reserve components should exert their leadership skills as they help their respective components adapt to new challenges and demands, their top officers said yesterday. "We need your leadership. We need your view, and it needs to be a joint view," Army Lt. Gen. Clyde A. Vaughn, commander of the Army National Guard, told about 140 senior officers and noncommissioned officers attending the Reserve Components National Security Course.
The National Defense University presents the course for reserve and National Guard members moving on to joint command management and staff jobs in multinational, intergovernmental or joint national security settings.
Vaughn joined senior leaders from the Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Coast Guard Reserve and Air National Guard during a panel discussion to offer a Washington viewpoint of the challenges the reserve components face.
He noted the huge changes within the Army National Guard over the past six years that have taken it from a strategic to an operational reserve deeply committed to the war on terror. New policies, procedures and processes had to be put in place to support the shift. More resources had to be directed to the Guard. Recruiting strategies needed to change so the Guard could continue filling its ranks with high-quality members. It began modularizing the force.
Vaughn said more changes are needed, but that those already made are creating "as powerful a National Guard as we have probably had at any time in our nation."
"It is a part of history for all time," Vaughn said. "And it took changing an institution."
Vaughn told the class members they, too, will be faced with these challenges as they assume ever-more-responsible positions within their components. "You will have to lead institutional change," he said.
Brig. Gen. David Blackledge, commander of the Army Reserve's 352nd Civil Affairs Command, emphasized the vast civilian skills members of the reserve components are bringing to that effort.
More than 175,000 of these "skill-rich warrior-citizens" have been mobilized since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, he said, and this rate is likely to continue for the foreseeable future, he said.
That will demand continued changes in the way the service is structured and trains and mobilizes its troops, he said. Among the changes being instituted is a deployment schedule that gives more predictability for reservists, their families and their employers, and more emphasis on training before mobilization, he said.
The old paradigm for the reserve components was to mobilize, train, and deploy, in that order, he said. "We are changing to train, mobilize, then deploy. So we are providing a lot of the training that would have taken place post-mobilization to pre-mobilization."
Lt. Gen. John Bergman, commander of Marine Forces Reserve and Marine Forces North, shared Blackledge's concern about the challenges reserve component members face as they balance the competing demands of their military and civilian careers.
Reservists need more predictability than the active force so they can maintain that balance, he said. "For the reserve component, our employers don't really care whether we are across the street or across the world," he said. "All they know is that we are not at that desk."
Bergman advocated a rotation schedule that provides one year away – factoring in pre-deployment training, deployment and post-deployment processing – followed by five years at home before another deployment.
Capt. Harry Myers, deputy chief of the Navy Reserve, described its shift from a Cold War construct designed "to greet the Soviets as they came through the Greenland-Iceland-Norway gap."
Change has taken place "at light-speed pace," he said, with reservists no longer spending the bulk of their time at their local reserve centers – now called Navy operational support centers.
"It's unusual to see them there, because they are ordinarily at their gaining command. They are out there in those units that best support the fleet and bring that capability," Myers said. "And quite frankly, the fleet values these folks far more than ever before."
Since 9/11, 41,000 of the Navy Reserve's 70,000 people have deployed, often serving in untraditional roles, he said. "Many times in the Gulf, we have more sailors there with boots on ground in the desert than we have sailors on the ships in the Gulf," Myers told the group. "And it's because it's one team, one fight."
Maj. Gen. Rita Aragon, the Air National Guard assistant to the Air Force's deputy chief of staff for manpower and personnel, cited big strategic issues facing the Air Guard. It's looking at ways to develop "adaptable airmen" who can move between jobs and weapons systems as needed, and a more agile force.
"We need to be a more agile force to be able to do whatever it is our nation wants us to do," she said.
Aragon acknowledged there's "a lot of angst" as the Air Guard downsizes its force and converts some of its units and missions. "So we are trying to find out what kind of career paths do we really need to develop and what kind of people do we need to have for these and what kind of weapons systems are we going to use," she said. "And those are crucial issues on a strategic level," she said.
Brig. Gen. Charles Ethredge, deputy chief of the Air Force Reserve, said his component faces many of the Air Guard's same concerns as it, too, undergoes sweeping changes.
The Air Force's Future Total Force initiative is cutting through traditional roles for the Air Force Reserve as well as the Air Guard to increase overall combat capability. At the same time, Base Realignment and Closure plans and the force reduction efforts are having a big impact on the Air Force Reserve and its members.
Ethredge said the Air Force Reserve is facing up to these challenges as it works take care of its people and identify ways for them to continue serving.
Coast Guard Rear Adm. J. Timothy Riker, director of the Coast Guard Reserve's Deployable Operations Group Commissioning Cell, cited the component's increased role in promoting security both at home and overseas.
Riker, a retired reservist, was reactivated to stand up the group that's considered a centerpiece of the Coast Guard's tougher security measures.
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