Wounded Warrior Regiment's Founder Retires

By Pfc. Jahn R. Kuiper
Special to American Forces Press Service

July 2, 2009 - U.S. Marine Lt. Col. Timothy Maxwell stood stoicly silent as the crowd at his retirement ceremony rose to their feet and applauded. For those in crowd who knows of his incredible journey they can't help but let their emotions flow. Maxwell, one of the founders of the Wounded Warrior Regiment, retired after 22 years of dedicated service on June 26 in a ceremony at the National Museum of the Marine Corps here.

Maxwell deployed six times and on his final deployment, in Iraq, he suffered a severe traumatic brain injury during an Oct. 7, 2004, mortar attack on the forward operating base where he was stationed. Shrapnel tore though the left side of his brain.

While recuperating, Maxwell discovered that his recovery was made easier when he was around other wounded warriors. He began advocating for wounded warriors and their families and worked diligently to establish the Wounded Warrior Barracks.

After all he has accomplished, Maxwell feels its time to step down.

"I've decided its time to go because a year ago I went for surgery to pull out piece of shrapnel near my brain stem," said Maxwell. "It crippled me on my right side. Now I can't represent the Marine Corps like I should. Marines are known for looking good in their uniform and when I can't look good in my camies it's time to go."

"[Assistant Commandant] General Amos approved the idea, Col. Kelly (a friend and fellow WW advocate with Maxwell) was the one who developed the idea, but it was Lt. Col. Maxwell who planted the seed for the Wounded Warrior Regiment," said Lt. Col. David J. Lofgren, the Executive Officer for the Wounded Warrior Regiment. "He got the wounded warriors together so they can heal together. The worst thing for a wounded warrior is the isolation. You feel like you're sandbagging it when the rest of your unit is out there fighting."

At the Wounded Warrior Barracks leaders are able see the problems of recovering wounded and help prevent them from happening again, said Lofgren.

"There are 10,000 plus people who can attest to how the [Wounded Warrior] Regiment has affected them positively," said Master Sgt. Kenneth R. Barnes, taff NCO for the regiment. Barnes called Maxwell "the biggest hero of my life ... It amazes me the way he has fought and persevered and still coming up with great ideas."

Lofgren said Maxwell has achieved icon status because his wounds are visible and people know him and know what he's accomplished on behalf of wounded warriors.

"He's a real person to relate to. He's a walking miracle," Lofgren said.

Even in retirement, however, Maxwell does not feel his job is complete. He has more goals for wounded warriors in all services.

"I want to expand it to the entire [Defense Department]," said Maxwell. "The solutions are out there. The problem is that wounded guys don't know about it. I have to spread the word."

MILITARY CONTRACTS July 2, 2009

NAVY
Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $441,938,182 modification to definitize the previously awarded Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Air System Low Rate Initial Production Lot III advance acquisition contract (N00019-08-C-0028) to a cost-plus-incentive-fee/award-fee contract. In addition, this modification provides for common and unique performance based logistics support and hardware for the sustainment of seven U.S. Air Force and one Government of the Netherlands Conventional Take-Off and Landing aircraft; seven U.S. Marine Corps and two United Kingdom (UK) Short Take-Off Vertical-Landing aircraft; material necessary to support activation of JSF bases; two Aircraft Systems Maintenance Trainers; one Weapons Loader Trainer; two Full Mission Simulators; one USMC and one UK Deployable Mission Rehearsal Trainer; sixteen LM-STAR avionics test stations; hardware and software for the Integrated Training Center; CVN Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) shipboard certification and deployment; ALIS depot trade study; and associated technical and financial data. Work will be performed in Orlando, Fla. (42 percent); Fort Worth, Texas, (37 percent); El Segundo, Calif., (9 percent); Warton, United Kingdom, (4 percent); Nashua, N.H. (2 percent); Baltimore, Md., (1.5 percent); Cleveland, Ohio, (1.2 percent); Cheltenham, United Kingdom (1.2 percent); Rolling Meadows, Ill., (1.1 percent) and San Diego, Calif., (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Force Protection Industries, Inc., Ladson, S.C., is being awarded a $58,009,282 firm-fixed-priced modification to previously awarded delivery order #0012 under previously awarded contract (M67854-07-D-5031) for the purchase of Field Service Representative Support, Equipment, Consumables, Bench Stock, and Training for the Installation of the Independent Suspension Kits on the MRAP Cougar Vehicles. Work will be performed at the MRAP Sustainment Facility in Kuwait, and work is expected to be completed by Feb. 28, 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.

The Boeing Co., Huntington Beach, Calif., is being awarded a ceiling $31,635,782 cost-plus-fixed-fee term contract for Design Agent engineering services support for the AN/USQ-82(5) system as a part of DDG Modernization. Work will be performed in Huntington Beach, Calif., and is expected to be completed by July 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, Dahlgren, Va., is the contracting activity (N00178-09-C-2005).

Soltek Pacific Construction Co., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded $17,595,000 for firm-fixed price task order #0010 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N62473-08-D 8615) for design and construction of a Combined Arms Military Operations in Urban Terrain training facility at the Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms. Work will be performed in Twentynine Palms, Calif., and is expected to be completed by January 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Five proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.

Raytheon Technical Services Co. LLC, Indianapolis, Ind., is being awarded a $13,173,440 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of 188 AN/ALE-47 Forward Firing/Dual Dispenser Pod shipsets for rapid installation on CH-53D/Es. In addition, this contract provides for the procurement of a 3D Product Technical Data Package on the CH-53D/E AN/ALE-47 Forward Firing/Dual Dispenser Pod system. Work will be performed in Indianapolis, Ind., and is expected to be completed in September 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-2. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-09-C-0065).

Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems and Sensors, Moorestown, N.J., is being awarded a $7,000,000 modification to previously awarded contract N00024-04-C-5144 for Japan Aegis Modernization Lifetime Support efforts for ATAGO and KONGO class ships under the Foreign Military Sales Program (100 percent for Japan). Lockheed Martin will provide planning, scheduling, and execution support for Japan Aegis Modernization in support of ATAGO and KONG class ships. This work will include preparing for and responding to price and availability request, conducting studies, supporting USN in development of a technology control plan to address product protection, computer program modifications, and future cooperative development and interface between US and Japan baselines. This modification includes options which if exercised would increase the cumulative value of the contract by $41,000,000. Work will be performed in Moorestown, N.J., and is expected to be completed by March 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

Krempp Lumber Co.*, Jasper, Ind., is being awarded $5,530,000 for firm-fixed price task order #0009 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N40083-06-D-4018) for construction of a Crane Army Ammunition Activity Ready Service Magazine Complex at Naval Support Activity Crane. Work will be performed in Crane, Ind., and is expected to be completed by March 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Four proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Midwest, Great Lakes, Ill., is the contracting activity.

Tiger Woods Honors U.S. Troops at Golf Tournament

By Air Force Master Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo
American Forces Press Service

July 2, 2009 - Golfing great Tiger Woods spent the week leading up to the nation's birthday honoring those men and women serving in the military during the Earl Woods Memorial Pro-Am golf tournament at the Congressional Country Club here. The tournament was named after Woods' father, a former Army officer who served during the Vietnam era. During the tournament, 26 active-duty servicemembers, representing each service, were given the opportunity to caddie for professional golfers.

"It felt great! I should buy a lottery ticket because the way my luck is going, I might just hit the jackpot," said Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Michael Barrett, who caddied for Woods and last year's tournament winner, Anthony Kim.

At the end of the 174-yard, par 3 hole, Woods passed the putter to Barrett for the final putt. Although he missed that putt, along with a second putt to end the hole for Dallas Cowboy quarterback Tony Romo, Barrett said it was still a memorable moment.

"I know I'm gonna get it from my boys back home because I missed both putts, but it was still a great experience." Barrett is a 16-year Marine Corps veteran, with two tours in Iraq, who was injured by a roadside bomb.

Two Army wounded warriors, Staff Sgt. Ramon Padilla and Maj. Ken Dwyer, were a part of the ceremonial first shot with Woods to begin the tournament.

"The fact that Tiger wanted to include ... servicemembers in something he feels very emotional about means a lot to me," said Dwyer, who is assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group based on Fort Bragg, N.C.

In addition to tournament ticket discounts and complimentary tickets for military members, the USO set up a care package tent for deployed troops.

During the opening ceremony, the Navy's Ceremonial Guard Drill Team and singer Jessica Simpson performed the national anthem. A precision parachute demonstration team from the 101st Airborne Division based on Fort Campbell, Ky., descended over the first hole in a four-man formation to present the golf balls used during the ceremonial "tee off" that would begin the competition.

Woods summed up the military's special role during a press conference: "To see what they deal with on a daily basis and what they have to go through by putting their lives on the line for us ... Everyone in this room should thank these servicemembers ... for what they do."

Partnership Opens Door for Army Reserve, Guard Construction Jobs

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

July 2, 2009 - A partnership forged today with the Helmets to Hardhats organization promises to translate into construction careers for reserve-component soldiers. Helmets to Hardhats officially joined the Army Reserve's Employer Partnership Initiative during a Pentagon signing ceremony today. The arrangement will open the door for the Army Guard and Army Reserve to share the same talent pool with about 80,000 civilian employers in the construction industry.

Army Reserve Chief Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz, who launched the Employer Partnership Initiative in April 2008, said today's ceremony took the effort to a new level in two ways. It will create a pathway to apprenticeships and training programs leading to a broad range of construction jobs – all through an organization that "has been a great friend to the military," he said.

For the first time, the partnership also will include the Army National Guard. Stultz called the new partnership agreement a first step toward eventually broadening the program to include every service's reserve components.

Helmets to Hardhats is a national program that connects National Guard, Reserve and transitioning active-duty members with career training and employment within 15 building and construction trades unions and nine leading construction contractor associations.

Darrell Roberts, a former sailor and National Guardsman who serves as the initiative's executive director, said the new partnership benefits civilian employers, too.

"It will help us get the word out [to members of the Reserve and Guard] about these quality careers in the construction industry," he said.

Meanwhile, he said, it will help employers tap into employees who "bring a can-do attitude and a sense of responsibility, who arrive on time, who understand the chain of command and who are there to work.

"They make great employees, and give 100 percent," Roberts continued. "Everybody I work with can't get enough of them."

Stultz called the new partnership with Hardhats to Helmets a natural fit because it takes advantage of the skill sets many soldiers already have – and that employers are looking for.

"Our vision in the Army Reserve is to become an organization that is looked upon as one of the premier organizations that develops talent and capability for America," he said.

The Employer Partnership initiative allows reserve-component soldiers to apply their civilian training and experience to their military jobs, Stultz said. "And we, in turn, will return them back to you with more confidence, more leadership, and hopefully, a better work ethic that you, in turn, get to take advantage of," he told the employer representatives.

Meanwhile, the partnerships help generate the employer support Stultz called critical to the reserve components' success.

"You really are providing this nation a strategy of how to maintain a well-trained and ready military for the future," he told the employer representatives. "I look forward to collaborating with our newest valued partner to achieve mutual goals to attract, develop and retain a quality workforce."

Army Maj. Gen. Raymond Carpenter, acting director of the Army National Guard, said he's excited about the opportunities the program will open up to Guard troops.

"The men and women of the Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve are highly motivated, seasoned professionals, and some of the highest-caliber potential employees for private industry," Carpenter said. "This program is good for our soldiers, local communities and the nation."

Female World War II Pilots Receive Overdue Honors

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

July 2, 2009 - President Barack Obama yesterday signed a bill to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the Women Air Force Service Pilots of World War II, the first women in American history to fly military aircraft. More than 60 years ago, they piloted fighter, bomber, transport and training aircraft with the primary mission of flying noncombat military missions in the United States, thus freeing their male counterparts for combat missions. But their contribution went largely unrecognized for years; they were not even acknowledged with veteran status until 1977.

"The Women Air Force Service Pilots courageously answered their country's call in a time of need while blazing a trail for the brave women who have given and continue to give so much in service to this nation since," Obama said. "Every American should be grateful for their service, and I am honored to sign this bill to finally give them some of the hard-earned recognition they deserve."

From 1942 to 1943, more than 1,000 women joined the unit, and 38 of them made the ultimate sacrifice in performing its mission. This legislation, which passed the Senate and House in recent months, confers proper recognition on the women's achievements, its sponsors said.

"The Women Air Force Service Pilots of World War II are trailblazers and true patriots," U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, said. "They risked their lives in service to our nation, but for too long their contribution to the war effort has been undervalued or under recognized."

After the Senate passed the bill May 20, Mikulski issued a news release hailing its successful journey on Capitol Hill. "I am so pleased both houses of Congress have now come together to right this wrong, and to finally give these courageous women the proper recognition they deserve," she said in the release.

The female pilots faced overwhelming cultural and gender bias against women serving in nontraditional roles and overcame injustice to serve their country, the Senate bill states. Enduring through adversity, the bill continues, these pilots became a catalyst for revolutionary reform in the integration of women pilots into the U.S. military.

The Women Air Force Service Pilots, known collectively as WASPs, participated in instructor piloting, towing targets for air-to-air gunnery practice, ground-to-air anti-aircraft practice and transporting personnel and cargo, among other tasks. In total, the women flew more than 60 million miles on American missions.

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, a co-sponsor of the House version of the bill, said the legislation recognizes the women's sacrifice.

"Today, this Congress has recognized their sacrifice and considers them all heroes because these trailblazers and true patriots served our country without question and with no expectations of recognition or praise," she said following the June 16 House passage. "That is what being a true hero is all about.

"This bill honors mothers, grandmothers, teachers, office workers, nurses, business women, photographers, [and] dancers. One was even a nun," she added. "But before that, they were pilots for the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II."

The groundbreaking steps taken by the WASP unit paved the way for hundreds of U.S. servicewomen to serve as combat pilots and fly fighter aircraft in recent conflicts, a White House news release states.

Chairman Evokes Lincoln in Independence Day Message

American Forces Press Service

July 2, 2009 - In his annual Independence Day message to members of the U.S. armed forces worldwide, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff evokes a speech Abraham Lincoln delivered in Chicago in 1858. Here is Navy Adm. Mike Mullen's holiday message:

"The Fourth of July in America perpetually binds us to the birth of our Nation – and the spirit of a revolution.

"Eighty-two years after Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence, another future President, Abraham Lincoln, eloquently defined the Fourth as an annual celebration of his listeners' enduring connection with their previous, heroic generation. But, he added, 'There is something else.'

"Lincoln then turned the Chicago crowd's attention toward the millions drawn to and born in America since the Declaration was signed, and their critical bond to its timeless truths.

"When they first read its words, and 'realize they are our equals in all things,' Lincoln said, 'they feel [it] is the father of all moral principle in them. ... That is the electric cord in that Declaration that links the hearts of patriotic and liberty-loving men together ... as long as the love of freedom exists in the minds of men throughout the world.'

"Today, that same electric cord links us to those truths which, while self-evident, have never been self-endowed. They are forever worth our defending – in days of peace, and, as now, in times of war.

"More than 240,000 men and women deployed in harm's way are defending our rights, and those of mankind, this very minute. They, and especially their families, know this: as long as our Nation continues to raise sons and daughters to sacrifice their individual cares for the greater good of all, the revolutionary spirit of Jefferson, Lincoln, and our Republic lives on.

"Happy Birthday, America."

U.S. Limits Contact with Honduran Military

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

July 2, 2009 - The American military contingent in Honduras has limited its contact with Honduran forces as the U.S. government evaluates the situation in the Central American country, a Pentagon spokesman said. Roughly 600 U.S. forces are stationed at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, 50 miles northwest of the capital city of Tegucigalpa, where President Manuel Zelaya was removed from office earlier this week.

"Our activities have largely been postponed with the Honduran military forces while our government has a chance to evaluate the situation and determine the way ahead," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters today.

But the U.S. forces that make up Joint Task Force Bravo, meanwhile, will continue "sustainment activities" such as flight operations from Soto Cano in support of the hospital ship USNS Comfort operating in Nicaragua.

"We have a lifesaving rescue capability there that we continue to sustain," Whitman said. "But we have limited our contact dramatically, to what I would call minimal contact, with the Honduran military as the United States continues to evaluate and make judgments about the way forward."

Whitman added that Joint Task Force Bravo continues to provide regional and interagency support in various capacities, and participates in counter-narcotic efforts.

Defense officials have underscored that U.S. forces in Honduras remain safe.

DoD Announces New Director Of DARPA

The Department of Defense (DoD) today announced the appointment of Regina E. Dugan as the 19th director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). DARPA is the principal agency within the DoD for research, development, and demonstration of concepts, devices, and systems that provide highly advanced military capabilities for the current and future combat force. In this role of developing high-risk, high-payoff projects, DARPA compliments and balances the overall science and technology program of the DoD.

"Regina Dugan is precisely the dynamic leader DARPA needs to open new technology frontiers and transition revolutionary technologies to serve our nation's interests," said Zachary J. Lemnios, director, Defense Research and Engineering. "I am delighted she will be leading this agency and look forward to working closely with her."

Prior to this appointment, Dugan held several key positions in industry, most recently as president and chief executive officer of RedXDefense, LLC, which she co-founded in 2005, a company that develops defense against explosive threats. She has also served in senior executive positions in several additional companies in roles ranging from global sales and marketing to research and product development.

During her first tour at DARPA from January 1996 to May 2000, Dugan received the program manager of the year award for her leadership of the "Dog's Nose Program", which was focused on the development of an advanced, field-portable system for detecting the explosive content of land mines. She is also the recipient of the deFleury Medal, the office of the secretary of defense award for exceptional service, and the award for outstanding achievement. She has participated in wide-ranging studies for the Defense Science Board, the Army Science Board, the National Research Council and Science Foundation, and currently sits on the Naval Research Advisory Committee and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency Science and Technology Panel.

Dugan earned her doctorate in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology and her master's and bachelor's degrees from Virginia Tech. She is the co-author of "Engineering Thermodynamics," 1996, sole inventor on one issued patent and inventor or co-inventor on nine additional patents pending.

Media may contact DARPA external relations at 571-218-4512. Additional information on DARPA is provided at http://www.darpa.mil .

North Korean Missile Launch 'Not Unexpected,' Official Says

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

July 2, 2009 - North Korea's launch of four short-range missiles yesterday didn't surprise Defense Department officials, a Pentagon spokesman said today. "What's fair to say is that North Korea, [and its] behavior, continues to be unpredictable," Bryan Whitman said, noting the activity "was not unexpected."

Whitman said he doesn't know of any specific violations of a June 12 United Nations Security Council nonproliferation resolution on North Korea associated with the launch.

North Korea has been the subject of near-universal condemnation since conducting a nuclear test in April. It also has tested intercontinental and intermediate-range missile technology.

A defense official, speaking on background, said he sees the reason for the launches as two-fold. The first is increased capability due to the improvement of North Korea's missile systems. The second is that the country is using the actions to improve its position when dealing with the international community, which by all indications, he said, is having the reverse effect.

While this hypothesis isn't unfounded, he said, it doesn't negate the fact that the act should be cause for concern.

"I think that North Korea is looking for attention, and this is one of the ways that they seek to get attention," the defense official said. "I don't want to give the sense that there isn't concern. There's great concern about this unpredictable and dangerous activity that's taking place."

In fact, the country's development of its nuclear program, as well as its continual improvement, testing, and exercising of ballistic missile capabilities and its proliferation activities, should be cause for concern, the official said.

"It's the combination of all of these things," he said. "It's the direction in which North Korea continues to head that should cause not only the United States, but [also] the international community at large, some concern."

Program Aims to Deliver Unprecedented Surveillance Capability

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

July 2, 2009 - A giant, unmanned airship capable of hovering at about 70,000 feet promises to give future warfighters an unprecedented eye on the battlefield. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Integrated Sensor is Structure program, ISIS for short, will provide a detailed, real-time picture of all movement on or above the battlefield, explained program manager Timothy Clark.

As envisioned, the ISIS airship will be able to track troop movements – friendly as well as enemy – up to 180 miles away and track the most advanced cruise missiles from about 370 miles away.

It also will be able to watch ground targets through heavily forested areas, a capability not possible without the huge ultra-high-frequency antenna ISIS will provide.

Operating outside of controlled air space and out of the range of most surface-to-air missiles, Clark said, the system will bring a capability not possible with satellites: the ability to maintain watch over a huge, fixed position without blinking.

ISIS is expected to have a 10-year lifespan, although engineers estimate it could last even longer. When it's no longer needed in one location, it can be moved to watch another. "We should be able to get it to anywhere the services would need it in about 10 days," Clark said.

Since the program's inception in 2004, its focus has been on developing technologies needed to create extremely large, super-sensitive, but also super-lightweight phased-array radar antennas. That's been accomplished, Clark said, with 6,000 square meters of X-band and UHF antenna condensed onto a 40-by-46-meter cylinder – about the size of a 15-story apartment building.

Meanwhile, the antenna's weight has been cut 90 percent, from 20 kilograms per meter to about 2.

Powering the system so it can stay aloft was another challenge. Batteries were too heavy, so engineers tried something else. They opted to use solar rays during the daylight hours and to electrolyze water, storing the hydrogen and oxygen separately so they could be run through a hydrogen fuel cell at night.

"Then we collect the water and run it again," Clark said. "It's a fully regenerative system."

The next step is to incorporate these technologies into the hull of a non-rigid, pressurized airship.

A demonstration program already is under way to see how this will work, Clark said.

Large pieces of the system are being put together at various locations around the country, and if all goes as planned, they'll be put together in a Lockheed-Martin hangar in Akron, Ohio.

Flight tests are expected to begin in late fall 2012, likely in the Florida Keys. Initially, DARPA will conduct 90 days of tests worldwide against air, ground and surface targets at known positions and sizes to ensure the radar is operating properly.

From there, the Air Force will take over the program, conducting its own additional testing before taking the ISIS operational.

Because DARPA is building a demonstration model, it will be prepared to hand the Air Force not just the technological capability, but also the manufacturing capability to move the program ahead, Clark said.

"To produce the demo, we're also producing a large amount of the components, including much of the antennae and transmit-receive modules, the hull material, significant portions of the power system," he said. "It's going to go through a lot of manufacturing development just to be able to produce the demo in an affordable manner."

Once operational, ISIS will bring not only new capabilities, but also new approaches to how the military conducts reconnaissance and surveillance, Clark said.

"It's going to provide an affordable persistence," he said.

Clark recalled the post-Gulf War years, when U.S., British and French military aircraft regularly patrolled two no-fly zones designated over Iraq to protect humanitarian operations in the north and Shiite Muslims in the south. ISIS could monitor the same areas without the wear and tear on flight crews and equipment, and at a fraction of the cost of manned patrols, he said.

"So you are talking about enormous change in how we do things," he said. "You are also talking about rethinking forward basing and crew rest. All those things change in how you execute what you do on the battlefield."

But the biggest gratification, Clark said, is knowing what ISIS will bring to warfighters.

"There's a lot of excitement about this program," he said. "That's because having that precise knowledge of what's out there is an extremely valuable piece of information."

Stavridis Becomes First Admiral to Head NATO Military Operations

American Forces Press Service

July 2, 2009 - Navy Adm. James Stavridis today became NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe, assuming command of allied command operations from retiring Army Gen. Bantz J. Craddock. The change of command, presided over by NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, marks the first time in NATO history that a navy admiral assumed the post, which originated in 1951 with Army Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. Stavridis is the 16th American officer to hold the post.

"Today I am lucky enough to find myself standing on the bridge, ready to take the watch, but I know I am not taking the watch alone," Stavridis said after assuming command.

"With me are over 70,000 shipmates – military and civilian – in three continents from the populated plains and coasts of Europe to the bright blue of the Mediterranean Sea, from the high mountain passes of Afghanistan to the distant Arctic Circle," Stavridis said.

"You stand in a long line of heroes who stood and delivered across this continent for decades in both war and peace," the admiral continued. "I honor your service, I pledge my support and loyalty to each of you, and I will continue to strengthen the pillars of our transatlantic bridge as we build new ones. That is my mission, and I will do my best."

Stavridis is responsible to NATO's highest military authority, its Military Committee, for the overall direction and conduct of NATO military operations. He also serves as commander of U.S. European Command.

(From a Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe news release.)

The AP reports useless facts

The AP reports that a major offensive is underway in Helmand province, Afghanistan. The AP does a reasonably good job of informing the reader as to the situation, letting him know that the offensive is called 'Strike of the Sword', is being conducted by Marines and Afghan Army troops, and is taking place in a Taliban stronghold.

That said, instead of with even more important facts, such as which units are involved, the AP provides us with facts unimportant to the story. The war is called 'once forgotten' which must be news to the American, Canadian, and British troops which took part in the bloody campaigns of 2005 and 2006, Operation Medusa for instance. The AP lets us know that the planned level of 68,000 troops in Afghanistan is still less than half of the number in Iraq. We are also told that there is 'no time table for withdrawal' as if Lincoln set one for Sherman's march to the Sea.

One of the reporters is Lara Jakes. A quick google search finds no Lara Jakes, but a Lara Jakes Jordon, who also writes for the AP. Has she been through a divorce? More likely she dropped the Jordan from her name because it is the surname of her husband, Jim Jordan, a Democrat strategist. The same search reveals Lara Jakes Jordon has in the past been singled out by the conservative News Busters, for problems with her reporting. Here's another critique again from a conservative outfit, World Net Daily.

Incidentally, another quick search reveals the American unit involved to be the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade. an AP update says 650 Afghan troops are involved most likelythe commando Kandak either from the 3rd Brigade, or attached to the 205th Corps. The Washington Post new, and saw fit to report it. Why not Ms. Jakes?

Will's book about the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment and the Battle of 73 Easting, is called A Line Through the Desert. It may be purchased at Amazon.

DoD Announces New Defense Policy Board Members

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates today announced the following new members to the Defense Policy Board: Gen. (Ret) Larry Welch, former Air Force chief of staff ; Stephen Biddle, Council on Foreign Relations; Richard Danzig, former secretary of the Navy; Robert Gallucci, former assistant secretary of state; Chuck Hagel, former senator from Nebraska; Robert D. Kaplan, Center for a New American Security; Andrew Krepinevich, Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments; Rudy deLeon, former deputy secretary of defense; John Nagl, Center for a New American Security; Sarah Sewall, Harvard University; Wendy Sherman, former special advisor to the President.

These members join the following returning members: John Hamre, chairman; Harold Brown; Adm. (Ret) Vern Clark; J.D. Crouch; Fred Ikle; Gen. (Ret) Jack Keane; Henry Kissinger; Dave McCurdy; Frank Miller; William Perry; James Schlesinger; Marin Strmecki; Vin Weber; Gen. (Ret) Pete Pace.

The Defense Policy Board provides the secretary, deputy secretary and under secretary for policy with independent, informed advice and opinion concerning matters of defense policy.

MILITARY CONTRACTS July 1, 2009

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
TW Metals, Inc., Carol Stream, Ill., is being awarded a maximum $96,000,000 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract to be a metals prime vendor for the northeast region of the United States. Other locations of performance are Exton, Pa., and various other locations. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Federal Civilian Agencies. There were four proposals originally solicited with four responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract has a two-year base and three possible one-year options. The date of performance completion is June 30, 2011. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM8EG-09-D-0009).

Tennessee Apparel Corp.,* Tullahoma, Tenn., is being awarded a maximum $22,101,000 firm fixed price, total set aside contract, indefinite quantity and indefinite delivery for camouflage parkas. Other locations of performance are Waynesboro, Tenn., Sparta, Tenn., and Whitwell, Tenn. Using service is the Army. The proposal was originally Web solicited with five responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Oct. 30, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM1C1-09-D-1067).

AIR FORCE
McDonnell Douglas Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Boeing Company, Long Beach, Calif., is being awarded a $46,070,000 contract modification for the C-17 Globemaster III Sustainment Partnership contract to increase funding for FY07 Material Improvement Projects for the USAF. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. MSW/516 AESG/PK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8614-04-C-2004).

Fatigue Technology Inc., Seattle, Wash., is being awarded a $25,000,000, contract for Wing Pylon Rib Repair for the F-16 aircraft. At this time, no funds have been obligated. 508th ACSG/PK, Hill Air Force Base is the contracting activity (FA8232-09-D-0001).

ITT Corporation, EDO Defense Systems, Amityville, N.Y., is being award a $19,146,918 contract action that will repair the AN/ALQ-161A Radio Frequency Surveillance/Electronic Countermeasures System components; 255 repair contract line items, one contract line item for material, and one contract line item for travel. At this time no funds have been obligated. Warner Robins – Air Logistics Center, Robins AIR Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity (FA8522-09-D-0006).

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company-Marietta, Marietta, Ga., is being awarded a $8,000,000 contract for the C-5 repairs/maintenance beyond the capability of the using command. At this time, no funds have been obligated. 330th Aircraft Sustainment Wing, Robins Air Force Base is the contracting activity (FA8525-09-D-0002).

NAVY
DCK North America, LLC, Large, Pa., is being awarded a $37,937,937 firm-fixed-price contract for the design and construction of an Operational Training Facility for Multi-Mission Aircraft (MMA/P-8A) at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. The work to be performed provides for a facility that includes space for 10 Operational Flight Trainers (OFT), eight Weapons Tactics Trainers, four Part Task Trainers, support equipment, bridge cranes over the OFT devices, computer based training stations, internal and external network communication equipment, training media storage, maintenance support shops, administrative offices, student study rooms, briefing areas, communications closets, and Secure Compartmented Information Facilities. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Fla., and is expected to be completed by June 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 21 proposals received in Phase I and seven Phase I offerors selected to proceed to Phase II. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity (N69450-09-C-1257).

Honeywell International, Inc., Defense and Space Electronic Systems, Albuquerque, N.M., is being awarded a $26,341,552 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed price contract (N00019-07-C-0014) to exercise an option for the full-rate production of 498 Advanced Multi-Purpose Displays (AMPD) for Lot 33 F/A-18F and EA/-18G aircraft, and retrofit of Lot 26-28 F/A-18E/F and E/A-18G aircraft for the U.S. Navy (422 units) and the Government of Australia (76 units). Units being procured for the U.S. Navy include 167 five-by-five inch forward; 134 five-by-five inch aft; 64 eight-by-ten inch AMPDs and 57 eight-by-ten inch AMPD High Resolution Recorder Interface kits to upgrade legacy displays with higher resolution capability. Units being procured for the Government of Australia include 30 five-by-five inch forward; 30 five-by-five inch aft; and 16 eight-by-ten inch AMPDs. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Navy ($21,822,180; 82.8 percent) and the Government of Australia ($4,519,372; 17.2 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales Program. Work will be performed in Albuquerque, N.M., and is expected to be completed in December 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

FGM, Reston, Va., is being awarded a potential $21,426,600 indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Net-Enabled Command Capability (NECC) systems engineering support for the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). NECC provides seamless integration of information for the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, combatant commanders, and the military services, ensuring synchronized joint and multinational operations, as well as joint Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence to support the entire force projection cycle. NECC support services include technical operations, integrated logistics, test and evaluation, training, modeling and simulation, security engineering, and other related systems engineering support. This contract is one of three contracts awarded: all awardees will compete for task orders during the ordering period. This two-year contract includes one three-year option period which, if exercised, would bring the potential, cumulative value of the contract to $60,264,055. Work will be performed at DISA locations in the Washington, D.C. area, and work is expected to be completed June 30, 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via publication on the Federal Business Opportunities website and posting to the SPAWAR e-Commerce Central website, with three viable offers received. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific (SSC Pacific) is the contracting activity (N66001-09-D-0114).

Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, Va., is being awarded a potential $20,414,156 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Net-Enabled Command Capability (NECC) systems engineering support for the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). NECC provides seamless integration of information for the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, combatant commanders, and the military services, ensuring synchronized joint and multinational operations, as well as joint Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C4I) to support the entire force projection cycle. NECC support services include technical operations, integrated logistics, test and evaluation, training, modeling and simulation, security engineering, and other related systems engineering support. This contract is one of three contracts awarded: all awardees will compete for task orders during the ordering period. This two-year contract includes one three-year option period which, if exercised, would bring the potential, cumulative value of the contract to $56,729,467. Work will be performed at DISA locations in the Washington, D.C. area, and work is expected to be completed June 30, 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via publication on the Federal Business Opportunities website and posting to the SPAWAR e-Commerce Central website, with three viable offers received. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific (SSC Pacific) is the contracting activity (N66001-09-D-0113).

Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a potential $20,139,580 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Net-Enabled Command Capability (NECC) systems engineering support for the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). NECC provides seamless integration of information for the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, combatant commanders, and the military services, ensuring synchronized joint and multinational operations, as well as joint Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C4I) to support the entire force projection cycle. NECC support services include technical operations, integrated logistics, test and evaluation, training, modeling and simulation, security engineering, and other related systems engineering support. This contract is one of three contracts awarded: all awardees will compete for task orders during the ordering period. This two-year contract includes one three-year option period which, if exercised, would bring the potential, cumulative value of the contract to $55,419,565. Work will be performed at DISA locations in the Washington, D.C. area, and work is expected to be completed June 30, 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via publication on the Federal Business Opportunities website and posting to the SPAWAR e-Commerce Central website, with three viable offers received. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific (SSC Pacific) is the contracting activity (N66001-09-D-0115).

Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding Inc., Newport News, Va., is being awarded a $9,156,317 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-06-C-2104) for research and development of advanced submarine technologies for current and future submarine platforms. The contract provides for provision of studies to support the manufacturability, maintainability, producibility, reliability, manning, survivability, hull integrity, performance, structural, weight/margin, stability, arrangements, machinery systems, acoustics, hydrodynamics, ship control, logistics, human factors, materials, weapons handling and stowage, submarine safety, and affordability of current and future submarine platforms. The contract also provides for engineering and technical support for Research and Development efforts associated with designing a future undersea superiority alternative to the reduced submarine program. Focus is on Hull, Mechanical, and Electrical systems, but may also involve C4I and non-propulsion electronic systems. Work will be performed in Newport News, Va., and is expected to be completed by September 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

Northrop Grumman Corp., Integrated Systems, Bethpage, N.Y., is being awarded a $6,359,983 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-03-C-0057) for the procurement of NP2000-3 Propellar Systems for three E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Pilot Production Aircraft, and associated spares. Work will be performed in Windsor Locks, Conn., (80 percent) and Bethpage, N.Y., (20 percent), and is expected to be completed in October 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

McDonnell Douglas Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., was awarded a $27,856,053 modification on June 30, 2009, to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-09-C-0086) for additional time-critical parts in support of EA-18G Full Rate Production Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA) system. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Mo., and is expected to be completed in September 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Correction: The contract awarded June 30, 2009, to DynCorp International LLC, Fort Worth, Texas, (N62742-08-C-1115) should have read that the current total contract amount after exercise of the option would be $205,996,058.

Correction: Contract awarded June 30, 2009, to Douglas E. Barnhart, Inc., San Diego, Calif., (N62473-08-D-8608) should have stated the award amount as $10, 122,318.

Wounded Warrior Diaries: Family Heals Together, Stays Together

By Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg
Special to American Forces Press Service

July 1, 2009 - A retired Army captain who survived third-degree burns over 30 percent of his body while stationed in Iraq believes that through family, faith and a lot of hard work, anything can be overcome. Capt. Alvin Eugene Shell Jr., who served with the 16th Military Police Brigade, credits his wife, Danielle, his three sons, his mother and father, and his wife's parents for helping him recover. They are his heroes.

"You can't define a hero by one act," Shell said. "A hero is a person that laces up his shoelaces every single day and doesn't ask to be recognized, doesn't ask for the accolades, or the rewards, or anything. They do it because of who they are."

Shell originally served as an enlisted soldier and later received his commission through Officer Candidate School. When he arrived in Iraq, he endured some of the toughest battles of the war, including the battle of Fallujah, before being injured.

"When we went to Fallujah, we all did a fair share of fighting," Shell recalled. "Fallujah was the toughest time. And if Fallujah didn't get me, nothing would get me." Or so he thought.

After making it through the battle of Fallujah, Shell's company was sent on a well-earned reprieve to Camp Victory in Baghdad.

"The entire company and platoon made it through pretty well; we didn't have any casualties, and we did an awesome job," he said. "After those four months in Fallujah, they actually sent us in Camp Victory. And to us, it was like a vacation, [yet] that was actually where I happened to get hurt out on a patrol."

Shell recalled that he wasn't supposed to be on patrol the evening he was injured. After agreeing to take his counterpart's patrol, he assumed the duties of the watch officer.

During the patrol, Shell's battle buddy, Staff Sgt. Wesley Spaid, told him he had a sense that something bad would occur. As soon as he said it, a semi truck in the convoy ran over an improvised explosive device, spilling diesel fuel on the road, Shell recalled.

"The shrapnel actually ripped through the gas tank, and it spilled the gasoline all the way down the [military supply route]," he said. "The truck was immobilized. The convoy still had to keep going, and if you know anything about being hit, you ride until the wheels fall off."

Shell and his crew quickly removed the driver from the burning truck and tried to hook a winch from their vehicle to remove the truck from the road to allow the convoy to pass through.

"You have to also imagine that the gas was still running out of this truck as we are pulling it off, and right when they got the winch hooked up, a [rocket propelled grenade] came over my left shoulder," he said. "I could feel the heat from it, and it hit a Humvee, and just a spark from the RPG ignited the road. The entire road caught on fire."

The kick from the RPG propelled him out of the fire a few yards away. After regaining consciousness, Shell recalled, he looked to the road and saw a few people running around, on fire.

"I remember the gas still pouring down, and I remember the fire almost chasing the gasoline down the MSR," he said. "I remember looking through the fire and remember seeing Sergeant Spaid on fire. ... As I saw the gas coming my way, I jumped back on the MSR, and ran through the gas and the fire."

Shell said he went to rescue his sergeant, who was confused and believed he had little hope, and asked Shell to shoot him.

"I yelled at him and said if I would have shot you, I would have done it over there [out of the fire]," he said.

Shell tried everything to extinguish the fire on Spaid, rolling him on the ground and covering him with dirt until the sergeant was able to retreat from the fire. Meanwhile, Shell realized that he, too, was on fire after becoming soaked with diesel fuel.

"I had to make a choice," he said. "I ... put my left hand on my face and my right hand on my rifle, and when I ran through, I lit up like a Christmas tree because I was pretty much soaked in the diesel fuel from my boots to my pants. And when I ran through the other side of the fire, I lit up. And I just remember being on fire, and I rolled and couldn't get the fire out. I remember running to the vehicle to get the fire extinguisher."

While looking for a fire extinguisher, Shell saw members of his company returning incoming fire. Approaching the lead vehicle, and with precious seconds ticking away as he searched for something to put out the flames, he realized the extinguishers had been used on a mission at least a week prior. As he tore the burning clothing off his body, he knew he had to put the flames out. He saw a ditch, jumped in, and extinguished the flames.

Climbing out of the ditch, Shell didn't immediately notice his injuries; his concern was his missing weapon.

"I remember when I got out of the ditch, I still thought I had my weapon in my hand," he said. "I looked down, but my weapon wasn't there. It got so hot that it melted the skin in my hand, and my weapon fell on the ground."

Shell continued to look for his weapon and told his company that no one would leave until 100 percent weapon accountability was performed.

After accounting for all the weapons, Shell and two others injured during the attack were taken back to Camp Victory. During the ride, an officer told him he was a hero. Shell simply replied that "a hero is a sandwich."

"I did anything any other paratrooper would do," he said.

Within a few days, he was sent to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, where he remained in a medical-induced coma for a week. He was then transferred to the burn unit at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, where his family was waiting for him.

Shell would endure 18 months of rehabilitation and therapy, and more than 30 surgeries. During this time, he relied heavily on his parents, friends and wife.

"My father retired and actually came up and lived with me when I got hurt; he was there constantly," Shell said. "My wife was there constantly. They pretty much moved to Texas and took care of me 24 hours a day.

"I think my family and my friends were pivotal," he continued. "I couldn't have recovered to the point I am right now. I think I would have healed -- my wounds would have healed and scabbed over -- but when you talk about actual recovery or you reach a point of wellness, I don't think I would be that person today."

He said all wounded warriors need someone to bounce their anger off of and properly manage all the complex emotions they have to sort through during the long road of recovery.

Shell said many families have to give up their lives to take care of their wounded soldier.

"They are taking themselves out of what they have done all of their lives, the jobs that they have, to say that they will give all that up to take care of their soldier," he said. He understands the personal sacrifices his wife and parents made. When Shell was injured, he said, his wife took care of their children – ages 6, 9 and 9 months – "and a husband that couldn't feed himself."

"I admire my wife, because she is tough as nails," he said.

Danielle Shell's strength and positive attitude helped her husband learn to walk again. "I would try to be there from when he woke up for breakfast and be there until dinner," she said.

Through nearly five years of recovery, she added, they have come through a more united and connected family.

"As far as the family goes, I think it helped," she said. "We appreciate each other more, and he could have easily died that day. I appreciate him more for the little things he does."

Despite qualifying for 100 percent disability, Shell said, he believes having a purpose every day also assists in the healing process. So, as he continues working 50 to 60 hours a week at his job with the Homeland Security Department, he counts his blessings every day, he said, thankful for his wife, three sons, parents and parents-in-law.

After almost five years, Shell's recovery continues. He will require at least two more surgeries on his right hand, and he may need physical therapy for the rest of his life.

"I don't think that it is in me to accept my 100 percent and not go to work," he said. "I could have accepted that 100 percent disability check, and my wife would have gone to work and would have never complained, but my parents didn't teach me any other way but to work."

(This is the 10th installment of the Wounded Warrior Diaries series. Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg serves in the Defense Media Activity's the emerging media directorate.)

Face of Defense: Soldier Hopes His Story Instills Sense of Reality

By Army Capt. Joseph Sanfilippo
Special to American Forces Press Service

July 1, 2009 - Even as Army Staff Sgt. Conrad Begaye relived the firefight that took the lives of his fellow soldiers, and even as he was awarded the military's third-highest honor for valor yesterday, his thoughts were on his comrades. Begaye, a Navajo from Black Canyon City, Ariz., said he wants the story of his actions in Afghanistan to help younger soldiers understand the importance of training, leadership and motivation. For troops eager to see combat, he said, he hopes his story instills a sense of the reality of war.

"It should open their eyes. A firefight is a life-altering experience - one that I'm still living through," Begaye said following a June 30 ceremony here in which he received the Silver Star. "Soldiers should understand ... this is real life, and people do die."

On Nov. 9, 2007, Begaye, an Airborne Ranger with the 503rd Infantry Regiment's 2nd Battalion, was part of a unit that had just met with local leaders in Afghanistan's Nuristan province. They were hiking along rugged terrain when his squad, his platoon's headquarters sections and a squad of Afghan soldiers began taking fire from enemy positions above.

Pinned down at first, Begaye was struck in the arm while returning fire and directing his men. Begaye bounded over a cliff, calling to his troops to follow him down the rocky slope to find cover.

Keeping his composure against overwhelming odds, Begaye directed and encouraged his fellow soldiers under heavy fire. One paratrooper had been shot in both legs and was still taking fire. Begaye called out to him to play dead, knowing the enemy would shift their fire away if they thought the soldier was killed -- quick thinking that likely helped to save that soldier's life.

Ignoring his own injuries, Begaye moved a wounded soldier to a nearby cave to protect him from enemy fire. Using a radio, he called his higher headquarters and directed mortar fire onto enemy positions - essentially ending the battle. Then he motivated a soldier to organize a defensive perimeter of Afghan soldiers to prevent their unit from being harassed or overrun.

Twenty-one months later, with his comrades standing quietly on the parade ground behind him, Begaye listened as Maj. Gen. William B. Garrett III, commander of U.S. Army Africa, spoke here, where Begaye began his service 10 years ago.

"Today, we honor a noncommissioned officer whose bold actions turned the tide of battle and saved the day, ... [and] whose courage under fire and fierce loyalty to his men still astounds us all," Garrett said. "Outnumbered, wounded, and initially pinned down in the kill zone of an enemy ambush -- he didn't hesitate to leap forward, literally, and take charge of the fight."

Garrett spoke of the "warrior ethos" that guides soldiers: place the mission first, never accept defeat, never quit, and never leave a fallen comrade.

"These are just words to some people," Garrett said. "But the warrior ethos is a way of life to Staff Sergeant Begaye. Amazing acts of bravery and valor were commonplace that grim day. But this morning, we recognize Staff Sergeant Begaye for his courage - and we are thankful for the opportunity to serve with such a man."

After the ceremony, Begaye's wife, Air Force Staff Sgt. Idellia Beletso, a flight medic based at Aviano Air Base, Italy, hugged her husband. Hundreds of red-bereted paratroopers lined up to shake Begaye's hand, many of whom served with him in combat.

"There are people who have passed on that deserve this," said Begaye, who served three combat tours. "There were five men who died. I'll accept and wear it in honor of them, not for my actions, but for theirs."

Begaye said he would have preferred a simple handshake or a pat on the back. After all, he said, infantrymen don't fight for medals, they fight for each other. That's why Begaye felt grateful to have soldiers from his unit, Chosen Company, behind him on the parade field during the ceremony.

"What happened there is something I think about every day," Begaye said. "It's not easy to forget about."

(Army Capt. Joseph Sanfilippo serves with the 503rd Infantry Regiment's 2nd Battalion public affairs office.)

Gates Visits Wounded Warriors, Returns Two to Washington

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

July 1, 2009 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates visited Landstuhl Regional Medical Center here yesterday, meeting with wounded warriors and the staff that treats them and touring a new USO facility that's providing them a better quality of life as they heal. Gates paid a call to the largest U.S. military hospital outside the United States after presiding at change-of-command ceremonies at the U.S. European Command headquarters in Stuttgart.

The secretary toured the center's intensive care unit and the USO Warrior Center that opened in November, and he met with patients wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. The patients represented about a 50-50 split between the two combat zones, reflecting what the staff here calls a trend as battle injuries drop in Iraq but increase in Afghanistan.

Air Force Lt. Col. Raymond Funk, deputy trauma director at Landstuhl, called the fact that many of these patients survived their injuries to be flown here for advanced care a testament to the military medical care system.

Gates has been a champion of improving wounded warrior care at every level from the point of injury. He ordered more field hospitals and medevac helicopters to Afghanistan this spring after learning that many troops there were too far from advanced-level treatment facilities to be treated within 60 minutes — the so-called "golden hour" after being wounded.

Gates told reporters traveling with him yesterday that he has his staff tracking "every single medevac" flight, and that he believes the additional medical assets are making a difference.

"Now, we're down to about 68 minutes" in average medevac time in Afghanistan, he said. But there's still a disparity in the response times – sometimes as little as 20 minutes, sometimes an hour and a half. "I want to equalize that," he said.

In addition to providing more assets, Gates said, he wants to cut through the administrative hurdles required to launch a medevac mission in the first place. "We want to try to get them to the point where they launch the helicopter even if they don't have the full chain of approvals," he said.

As he visited Landstuhl yesterday, the secretary met some of the servicemembers who have benefitted directly from the additional battlefield medical capabilities he ordered and his overall emphasis on wounded warrior care. Army Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey Lawrence, platoon sergeant at the Medical Transient Detachment, said he was delighted to see the way the secretary interacted with his troops being treated for "anything from mental health issues to gunshot wounds and everything in-between."

"He's in there with about 55 people, talking to each one and shaking their hands," Lawrence said as he stood outside the new USO center. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Their faces light up, and it makes their day."

Lawrence called working with wounded troops at Landstuhl the most rewarding job he's had in his Army career.

"The patients we take care of here are very deserving," agreed Funk, who has served at Landstuhl since 2004 and keeps asking to extend his duty here. "Everyone who comes here has been doing something for their country."

After Gates' visit, as he lifted off from Ramstein Air Base bound for Washington, he had two of Landstuhl's patients in tow, headed for military treatment facilities in Washington.

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Tracy Morton and Army Spc. Anthony Martinez represent the large percentage of Landstuhl's patients who come to the facility with non-combat-related injuries.

Morton, a Navy corpsman who spent nine months at Forward Operating Base Sharana in Afghanistan's Patika province, was headed to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., to be treated for complications following appendicitis surgery.

Martinez is a Fort Drum, N.Y.-based UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crew chief who spent the past eight months ferrying troops around Iraq. That all came to a screeching halt when he woke up one day – May 4 to be exact – with vertigo, then developed Bell's palsy, a facial paralysis that caused the side of his face to droop. Yesterday he sat alongside Morton in Gates' C-32 aircraft, bound for Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington for additional testing.

Both Morton and Martinez had experienced the full range of combat medicine the military provides deployed combat troops.

Morton, 42, first went to sick call at his forward operating base's Army hospital, where he got first-level care from a forward surgical team that had just arrived. From there, he was taken to Bagram Airfield for surgery.

The plan was to return him back to Sharana after recovery, but Morton began developing blood clots, gall bladder problems and an embolism.

Because troops taking blood thinners aren't permitted to serve in the combat theater – a precaution to safeguard against excessive blood loss in the event of an injury – Morton was again flown to Landstuhl. He spent two days in a ward, then to make room for other inbound troops, two additional days in an outpatient status while undergoing tests. From there, he was set to be transferred to Bethesda for higher-level care.

Martinez, got his initial evaluation by a doctor assigned to Contingency Operating Base Speicher. The 22-year-old 10th Mountain Division soldier was then sent to a combat surgical hospital, where he was diagnosed with vertigo.

He recalled the frustration of being taken off flight status and assigned to office duties as he waited for the symptoms to subside before the Bell's palsy set in. He paid daily visits to the doctor's office, getting evaluated by a neurologist at Balad Air Base who consulted closely with neurologists at Walter Reed.

From there, Martinez was flown to Landstuhl, a stopover on his way to Walter Reed for an MRI and other care.

Neither Morton nor Martinez knows exactly how long they'll be at the capital region medical centers, and both expressed regret that they've left their units behind in the combat zone. They also had nothing but praise for the medical care they've received every step of the way.

"I've been taken care of very well," Martinez said. "Everything has been there for me. They've been awesome."

Morton said his medical issues gave him the chance to experience firsthand the range of care patients he treats receive once they're evacuated from the point of injury.

"We would ship people off and not every really know what would happen to them," he said. But after his experience at Landstuhl, Morton said, he's a believer in the military medical system.

"The people here are really mission-oriented with the wounded warriors," he said. "To see how they handled wounded warriors at Landstuhl was mindboggling. It was obvious that their mission was to take care of us – at any cost."

Yellow Ribbon Fund Keeps Troops' Families Mobile

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

July 1, 2009 - Servicemembers' long-term rehabilitation shouldn't keep them, or their family members, bound to the hospital grounds, and the Yellow Ribbon Fund is working to make sure that doesn't happen. Founded in 2005, the organization was created to assist injured servicemembers and their families while they recuperate at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center here and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Toward that goal, it offers several programs for recovering servicemembers, including a mentor/intern program in which they can learn job skills from a local company.

"The Yellow Ribbon Fund is the only organization that provides free rental cars to the family members of the injured servicemembers at NNMC and WRAMC," said Marie Wood, the group's first vice president and director of communications. "These cars provide transportation away from hospital grounds for our wounded warriors their family members.

"As one wife told me about availability of a car after she had been caring for her husband for months at Walter Reed, 'It's like being released from jail to have car, finally,'" she added.

Family members and friends visiting a recovering servicemember are eligible to a Yellow Ribbon Fund rental car through the Soldier and Family Assistance Center at either medical facility. This ensures that the request is coming from someone legitimately there to visit a servicemember, Wood explained.

Servicemembers are not eligible to rent a car themselves, however, and for good reason, said Diane Shoemaker, Yellow Ribbon Fund's director of housing and transportation.

"We have no way of knowing who is on medication [that might impair the ability to drive]," she said. But the staff at the dealership that provides the cars goes out of its way to be kind to the soldiers and their visiting families, she added.

The dealership, Nextcar Rentals, is owned by Jack Fitzgerald. As of June 29, he had rented 1,032 vehicles, mostly PT Cruisers, to servicemembers' families through Yellow Ribbon Fund. That model seems to work best for those who need to transport wheelchairs, Shoemaker said.

Renters may keep the vehicles for 28 days, at which point they're required to return them. If they need them for longer, they can contact Shoemaker to renew the rental, but they still need to take the cars back to the rental company for servicing, she said.

"The person renting the car is required to furnish the gas, so that when they take the car back to the dealership it's on full," Shoemaker said. "They are also responsible for any parking tickets [and] any damage to the car while they have it. Renters must be 21, a standard rule of car renting, she added.

If there's any doubt about the importance of the program, one need look no further than Danielle Gillon.

Gillon is the manager of Nextcar Rental's Wheaton, Md., location, which supplies the rentals for the Yellow Ribbon Fund program.

"It means a lot -- it means transportation," she said. "Some of [the families] are here with children, and they're here for an extended period of time. They're able to get their children to and from school. They're able to get the patients out of the hospital for awhile, just to get away.

"Without the vehicle," she continued, "they would be stranded at the hospital, whether it's at the Navy base or at Walter Reed. So I know that it means a lot to them, because they say it. They're quite grateful."

Gates, Spanish Defense Minister Discuss Military Relations

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

July 1, 2009 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Spanish Defense Minister Carme Chacon discussed operations in Afghanistan, counter-piracy initiatives and continuing military-to-military ties during a meeting at the Pentagon today. Gates said the relationship between the two NATO allies is excellent. Spain has 780 soldiers in Afghanistan today, according to NATO statistics, and commands the Badghis Provincial Reconstruction Team in western Afghanistan.

"We talked a good bit about Afghanistan," the secretary said during a media availability following the meeting. "I expressed our appreciation for all that Spain is doing there, including the additional troops that were announced last week in time for election security."

Spanish officials have said they will send an additional 532 servicemembers to Afghanistan ahead of the Aug. 20 national elections.

Chacon spoke of the range of military-to-military relations between the United States and Spain. She said Spain agrees with the strategy in Afghanistan and stressed her country's commitment to providing economic and governance support to the nation.

The secretary thanked Chacon for Spain's continuing approval of American access to the navy base at Rota and the air base at Moron.

As for counter-piracy, Gates said, the two talked about "the need for a legal framework to deal with these issues."

"All in all, we had a very broad, wide-ranging conversation," he said. "We look forward to the high-level meetings this fall, and look forward to a bold and ambitious agenda."

U.S. Base in Honduras on Shut-down Following Uprising

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

June 30, 2009 - There are no current threats to U.S. servicemembers serving in Honduras following last week's ouster of the Honduran president, U.S. Southern Command officials said today. The 600 American soldiers, sailors and airmen based at Soto Cano Air Base are staying on the base and not conducting exercises with the Honduran military, said Robert Appin, deputy director for public information and outreach at Southern Command in Miami.

The Honduran military reportedly ousted President Manuel Zelaya on June 28. President Barack Obama has expressed concern over the development and said the Hondurans need to work the problem out.

The last off-base operation was June 26 when U.S. servicemembers concluded a medical readiness exercise, Appin said.

Army Col. Richard A. Juergens, commander of Soto Cano, ordered the air base closed following Zelaya's ouster. "No one is allowed off base except for emergency situations," Appin said. "All travel is restricted."

U.S. forces have served in Honduras since the early 1980s. A mix of active and reserve component servicemembers work with local forces and local institutions. Servicemembers deploy for either six months or a year to Soto Cano, Appin said.