Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs Office
RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas – After receiving feedback from senior leaders, promotion boards and Airmen around the globe, Air Force officials are providing additional guidance to help clarify the use of stratification for officers.
That feedback included concerns that our previous officer stratification guidance was unclear and restrictive, Air Force Personnel Center officials said. The revised guidance is intended to clear up some of the confusion and provide supervisors and commanders a tool to best convey their top performers on performance reports.
The guidance includes better descriptions of stratification based on peer comparisons, rater’s authority, senior leader quotes, deployed letters of evaluation, promotion recommendation forms and within decoration citations. The guidance also provides examples of improper use of stratification.
To view the guidance, visit the AFPC personnel services website and search for the keyword “officer stratification.”
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Guard Stands Ready for Border Mission, General Says
By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
National Guard Bureau
May 5, 2010 - If civilian leaders decide to include the National Guard in a broader mission on the Southwest border, the National Guard stands ready, the chief of the National Guard Bureau said this week.
"The president and the secretary of defense will tell me when the time is right [and] when the conditions are right, whether they need [Guard members] or not," Air Force Gen. Craig R. McKinley told reporters May 3. "Based on this magnificent force, ... I don't think there'll be a problem finding a force if authorized to help. But I'm not out looking for a mission."
About 6,000 Guard members served in Operation Jump Start on the Southwest border for two years, starting in 2006, to support the Border Patrol while it recruited and trained new agents to boost then size of its force. Today, a small number of National Guard troops provide counterdrug border support.
Any new mission likely would be much different from Operation Jump Start, Guard officials said, perhaps focused on preventing the spillover of drug violence across the border.
President Barack Obama will meet with Mexican President Felipe Calderon later this month, McKinley noted.
"Let's let the presidents of the two countries decide. ... We will do what we're asked to do," he said. "Many of the Southwest border governors have asked for National Guard forces, but those decisions will be given to me by my leadership when the time is right."
National Guard Bureau
May 5, 2010 - If civilian leaders decide to include the National Guard in a broader mission on the Southwest border, the National Guard stands ready, the chief of the National Guard Bureau said this week.
"The president and the secretary of defense will tell me when the time is right [and] when the conditions are right, whether they need [Guard members] or not," Air Force Gen. Craig R. McKinley told reporters May 3. "Based on this magnificent force, ... I don't think there'll be a problem finding a force if authorized to help. But I'm not out looking for a mission."
About 6,000 Guard members served in Operation Jump Start on the Southwest border for two years, starting in 2006, to support the Border Patrol while it recruited and trained new agents to boost then size of its force. Today, a small number of National Guard troops provide counterdrug border support.
Any new mission likely would be much different from Operation Jump Start, Guard officials said, perhaps focused on preventing the spillover of drug violence across the border.
President Barack Obama will meet with Mexican President Felipe Calderon later this month, McKinley noted.
"Let's let the presidents of the two countries decide. ... We will do what we're asked to do," he said. "Many of the Southwest border governors have asked for National Guard forces, but those decisions will be given to me by my leadership when the time is right."
Ward: Guard partnership with Botswana a 'model' program
U.S. Africa Command
(5/1/10) -- The Botswana Defence Force (BDF) hosted a visit by General William E. Ward, commander of U.S. Africa Command, to meet with military officials and soldiers of the BDF in Gaborone on April 28, when he discussed ongoing regional security efforts and potential future military-to-military activities with the BDF.
"I am here to discuss our ongoing security cooperation programs, our great partnership and to look for ways that U.S. Africa Command can work with Botswana and its regional neighbors as we pursue our mutual goals for stability," said Ward during a press event with local journalists.
Botswana is a southern African nation about the size of Texas with a population of about 1.8 million people.
This visit, Ward's third visit to Botswana, yet his first since 2007, was part of an ongoing partnership with the BDF to provide military-to-military training with a focus on sustainable regional security, said Lt. Col. William "Chris" Wyatt, chief of the Office of Security Cooperation at the U.S. Embassy in Botswana.
The BDF and U.S. military conducted 40 cooperation events together in 2010, Wyatt said.
The U.S. National Guard State Partnership Program with Botswana is a "model" program, Ward said. This program has linked, since 2008, the BDF with the North Carolina National Guard to conduct training events, exchanges and other activities.
Botswana is one of eight African partner nations, which participate in the program and one of 61 worldwide.
"U.S. Africa Command is excited to see that relationship has shifted from the traditional military-to-military engagements and is now incorporating military-to-civilian engagements," Ward said. "Such evolution clearly demonstrates the long-term and diverse benefits that can be achieved through our partnerships."
Ward was initially welcomed by Col. M. C. Mophuting, commandant of the Force Training Establishment. The Force Training Establishment is the organization that provides basic training for new BDF soldiers, along with officer and senior NCO training as soldiers advance through the ranks.
Brig. Gen. Giotseleene Morake, commandant of the Defence Command and Staff College, gave Ward a tour of the college to highlight its training programs and capabilities.
The Force Training Establishment recently completed its first gender-integrated accession class which included 24 women. Of those 24, three are pilot candidates. Underscoring the college's regional approach to force development, five of the graduates were from Swaziland and five others were from Lesotho, Wyatt said.
Ward gave a 30-minute speech to an audience of about 700 BDF senior leaders and students of the DCSC. In that speech, he congratulated the students for their achievements.
While visiting in Gaborone, Ward met with Lt. Gen. Masire, chief of Defence Forces, and Assistant Minister Mokgwetsi Masisi, Minister of Defence, Justice and Security. Both meetings were devoted to discussing the current state of the BDF's training and readiness and what other potential exercises and military-to-military events may be considered for the future.
Ward said visits such as this allow him to "gain a better understanding of the Botswana perspective on defense and security issues and to look for ways that we can continue to work together." Ward also praised the BDF for being a model of a professional and disciplined force working within a democracy.
Ward and Ambassador Stephen Nolan, U.S. Ambassador to Botswana, met with print, radio and TV journalists in Gaborone to discuss Ward's visit and U.S. Africa Command's programs and activities.
Ward emphasized U.S. Africa Command has "no intention" of seeking bases in Africa, nor is it looking to move its headquarters to Africa.
"Too often when we visit a partner nation, there is speculation that we are looking for bases or seeking a place to place U.S. troops here ... That is simply not the case," Ward stated. "It has never been the case as I have told a few of you before."
The same question was raised at the DCSC earlier that day, to which he declared: "There are no designs to put the headquarters any place on the continent, and there are no plans to do so ...."
Ward said the establishment of Africa Command means partner nations have "a more dedicated partner than ever before" working to support them.
He pointed out the work of the command "is about helping Africans increase their capacity to deal with their security and be better able to provide for their own stability."
To achieve this goal, the command works with nations, regional organizations and the African Union to help foster regional cooperation and complement the work being done by international partners and other U.S. government agencies.
Ambassador Nolan told the journalists that command programs, such as the Africa Partnership Station maritime program, are about "helping African countries deal with African problems."
"It's about working with the militaries across Africa to increase their capacity, to give African militaries the experience of working with a world-class institution and learning new skills and applying new skills," Nolan added. "So where Africa Command is [located], is not the issue. It's what Africa Command does across the continent. That is the important thing. So the programmatic side is really the heart and soul of what the Africa Command is about."
During his visit, Ward was able to meet with Dr. Boga Fidzani, chairman of the board for the Botswana-based HIV counseling and testing non-governmental organization Tebelopele.
A plaque at the entrance to the facility reads: "Construction of this facility was made possible by the financial support of the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. European Command, the U.S. Embassy Botswana and the People of the United States of America."
Thirteen of the 16 Tebelopele Centers in Botswana were built by the U.S. Department of Defense through the DOD HIV/AIDS Prevention Program under the U.S. President's Emergency Program for AIDS Relief. The center provides prevention, counseling, testing and medical referrals for HIV/AIDS related issues.
Ward highlighted that U.S. Africa Command is supporting African militaries in HIV and AIDS prevention programs in 39 African countries.
"Our work trains senior military leaders, peer educators and health care workers. We are making an impact in the combined fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa," according to Ward. More than 500,000 African military members and their families have benefited from these counseling and testing efforts.
Ward left Botswana April 29 and flew to Windhoek, Namibia. During his first visit to Namibia, he met with Namibia's National Defense Force officials to discuss potential future cooperation activities.
Surgeon General Describes Transition Unit Challenges
By Lisa Daniel
American Forces Press Service
May 5, 2010 - Walk into any of the Army's 29 warrior transition units, the Army's surgeon general said yesterday, and you will find people struggling through the worst time of their lives. Anger, depression, suicidal thoughts and substance abuse can cloud the efforts of soldiers and their families as they struggle to recover the people they had been before combat changed their lives.
Asked about a recent New York Times article that depicted neglect and suffering among injured soldiers in the Army's care, Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Eric B. Schoomaker said during a Pentagon Channel interview that he doesn't doubt some soldiers and families are "not completely satisfied with what we're doing for them."
However, he added, wounded warriors must struggle with the difficult challenges.
"We were early to recognize that we begin at a disadvantage with soldiers and the families because they come back with a serious illness," he said, "and we in the medical system and the Army at large are working with the soldiers and families under conditions they would never have chosen to be in, and we wouldn't have chosen it for them."
The newspaper based its findings on a visit to a transition unit at Fort Carson, Colo. Schoomaker acknowledged that such individual cases could be found at any of the units, but added that they don't represent the totality of the work being done in rehabilitating soldiers and giving them hope for the future.
Schoomaker said he talked to the transition unit commanders after reading the article. "Every one of them told me, 'Look, this could have been my unit,'" he said. "Some of [the families] are really struggling with being given back a soldier who was not the soldier they were when they went off to war."
More than 9,300 soldiers with a variety of physical and psychological problems have passed through the units since they were created in 2007 to help wounded warriors transition to their next stage of work and life -- a life that may or may not include continued military service, Schoomaker said. For a variety of reasons, he added, their efforts to again be the soldier they wanted to be stall to some degree.
Despite the difficulties that soldiers in transition units are experiencing, Schoomaker said, he and the transition unit commanders welcome the media in the units.
"Many of these folks are in real pain," he said of the soldiers. "They're suffering. And in their desperation, they are having problems seeing their way through to a brighter future, and some take extreme measures to get past their pain. You'll see all those things."
But that's not the whole story, the general said.
"You'll also see [soldiers] focused on 'How I can be a soldier again?' or 'How I can be a productive citizen again?'" he said, as well as volunteers helping them get there.
The media are a conduit to the public, and the public should see that, he added. "These are your sons and daughters," the general said. "These are your brothers and sisters. These are members of your community who've taken an oath to protect your country. Why should we not be willing to show them that we're trying everything in our power to heal them, to rehabilitate them, and to provide the transitional services they require?"
Families also struggle. They have to cope not only with their soldiers' changes and how to care for them, Schoomaker said, but also with the Army's continued expectations of wounded warriors as soldiers, including showing up for appointments. And in some cases, he noted, soldiers choose to limit or not allow their family's involvement in their recovery.
"Sometimes it takes tough love, which a family is not always willing to extend," he said. "It's heartbreaking for them to see someone who has gone into uniform whole of mind and body, and now see what they're going through. And sometimes they misinterpret very important steps they need to stay on the path to healing."
To the extent possible, the general said, transition units use a comprehensive plan to help families with caregiver skills, living arrangements and financial problems related to caring for the soldier. The "triad of care" at the center of the program – a commanding officer, nurse case manager and primary care manager – take a broad approach to rehabilitation, even requiring soldiers to master two athletic events before leaving the program, he said.
"It's our obligation to teach you how to live your life as fully as possible, and even to find new opportunities for you," Schoomaker said. The sports requirement "seems kind of cruel, but soldiers will say it is one of the things that taught them confidence," he said.
Schoomaker acknowledged that warrior transition units have higher suicide rates than the Army at large, and that substance abuse is a problem.
"The [units] are focused on people who've lost their dream of being a particular kind of soldier or who might have lost a part of their body that to them is associated with being a whole person," he said.
Unit staff members look carefully to try to identify soldiers at risk of drug abuse, and they watch them carefully to make sure they're not overmedicated or amassing large quantities of prescription drugs, Schoomaker said. All prescription drugs must come from a single doctor, and large quantities are not prescribed, he added.
Transition units are difficult places, Schoomaker said, not only for the soldier patients and their families, but also for the soldiers who volunteer to work there.
"This is a tough assignment," he said. "We're concerned about compassion fatigue. Some of our initial [noncommissioned officers] and officers thought it would be like leading any other platoon or squad, but found out this really tested them to their limits."
Article sponsored by computer repair online.
American Forces Press Service
May 5, 2010 - Walk into any of the Army's 29 warrior transition units, the Army's surgeon general said yesterday, and you will find people struggling through the worst time of their lives. Anger, depression, suicidal thoughts and substance abuse can cloud the efforts of soldiers and their families as they struggle to recover the people they had been before combat changed their lives.
Asked about a recent New York Times article that depicted neglect and suffering among injured soldiers in the Army's care, Lt. Gen. (Dr.) Eric B. Schoomaker said during a Pentagon Channel interview that he doesn't doubt some soldiers and families are "not completely satisfied with what we're doing for them."
However, he added, wounded warriors must struggle with the difficult challenges.
"We were early to recognize that we begin at a disadvantage with soldiers and the families because they come back with a serious illness," he said, "and we in the medical system and the Army at large are working with the soldiers and families under conditions they would never have chosen to be in, and we wouldn't have chosen it for them."
The newspaper based its findings on a visit to a transition unit at Fort Carson, Colo. Schoomaker acknowledged that such individual cases could be found at any of the units, but added that they don't represent the totality of the work being done in rehabilitating soldiers and giving them hope for the future.
Schoomaker said he talked to the transition unit commanders after reading the article. "Every one of them told me, 'Look, this could have been my unit,'" he said. "Some of [the families] are really struggling with being given back a soldier who was not the soldier they were when they went off to war."
More than 9,300 soldiers with a variety of physical and psychological problems have passed through the units since they were created in 2007 to help wounded warriors transition to their next stage of work and life -- a life that may or may not include continued military service, Schoomaker said. For a variety of reasons, he added, their efforts to again be the soldier they wanted to be stall to some degree.
Despite the difficulties that soldiers in transition units are experiencing, Schoomaker said, he and the transition unit commanders welcome the media in the units.
"Many of these folks are in real pain," he said of the soldiers. "They're suffering. And in their desperation, they are having problems seeing their way through to a brighter future, and some take extreme measures to get past their pain. You'll see all those things."
But that's not the whole story, the general said.
"You'll also see [soldiers] focused on 'How I can be a soldier again?' or 'How I can be a productive citizen again?'" he said, as well as volunteers helping them get there.
The media are a conduit to the public, and the public should see that, he added. "These are your sons and daughters," the general said. "These are your brothers and sisters. These are members of your community who've taken an oath to protect your country. Why should we not be willing to show them that we're trying everything in our power to heal them, to rehabilitate them, and to provide the transitional services they require?"
Families also struggle. They have to cope not only with their soldiers' changes and how to care for them, Schoomaker said, but also with the Army's continued expectations of wounded warriors as soldiers, including showing up for appointments. And in some cases, he noted, soldiers choose to limit or not allow their family's involvement in their recovery.
"Sometimes it takes tough love, which a family is not always willing to extend," he said. "It's heartbreaking for them to see someone who has gone into uniform whole of mind and body, and now see what they're going through. And sometimes they misinterpret very important steps they need to stay on the path to healing."
To the extent possible, the general said, transition units use a comprehensive plan to help families with caregiver skills, living arrangements and financial problems related to caring for the soldier. The "triad of care" at the center of the program – a commanding officer, nurse case manager and primary care manager – take a broad approach to rehabilitation, even requiring soldiers to master two athletic events before leaving the program, he said.
"It's our obligation to teach you how to live your life as fully as possible, and even to find new opportunities for you," Schoomaker said. The sports requirement "seems kind of cruel, but soldiers will say it is one of the things that taught them confidence," he said.
Schoomaker acknowledged that warrior transition units have higher suicide rates than the Army at large, and that substance abuse is a problem.
"The [units] are focused on people who've lost their dream of being a particular kind of soldier or who might have lost a part of their body that to them is associated with being a whole person," he said.
Unit staff members look carefully to try to identify soldiers at risk of drug abuse, and they watch them carefully to make sure they're not overmedicated or amassing large quantities of prescription drugs, Schoomaker said. All prescription drugs must come from a single doctor, and large quantities are not prescribed, he added.
Transition units are difficult places, Schoomaker said, not only for the soldier patients and their families, but also for the soldiers who volunteer to work there.
"This is a tough assignment," he said. "We're concerned about compassion fatigue. Some of our initial [noncommissioned officers] and officers thought it would be like leading any other platoon or squad, but found out this really tested them to their limits."
Article sponsored by computer repair online.
F-16 Training Bolsters U.S.-Pakistan Relations
By Air Force Maj. Gabe Johnson
Arizona National Guard
May 5, 2010 - Pakistan's air force soon will upgrade its 30-year-old fleet of F-16 Fighting Falcons, and the pilots charged with flying more capable fighters are ready to handle the new technology after training with the Arizona Air National Guard. Eight Pakistani air force pilots, each experienced in the F-16's A and B models, recently learned to fly the newer C- and D-model aircraft at the 162nd Fighter Wing, the international F-16 training unit at Tucson International Airport. They were honored at a graduation ceremony here yesterday.
The pilots are the first from their country to train in the United States since 1983, when the last class of Pakistani pilots trained at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.
"This graduation is historic for U.S.-Pakistan relations," said Wing Commander Ghazanfar Latif, a 12-year F-16A pilot with the Pakistani air force. "For Pakistan, our air force is gaining capabilities that it has needed for the last decade -- capabilities that are critical to ongoing operations in Pakistan's war on terror."
The new planes purchased by the Pakistani government, Block 52 versions of the multirole fighter, are far more advanced than the older A-model versions and will allow pilots to conduct operations at night and greatly enhance their use of precision munitions.
The first four of the 18 planes purchased are scheduled for delivery June 26 to Shahbaz air base in south-central Pakistan. The rest will be delivered on a staggered schedule throughout this year. In addition, Pakistan's existing F-16 fleet will undergo a mid-life update in 2011 designed to upgrade cockpits and avionics to match the F-16C/D.
In preparation for the June delivery, the eight pilots and their families will have spent 10 months in the United States navigating the upgrade-training pipeline. They spent two and half months reviewing military aviation terminology at the Defense Language Institute at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, and seven months in flight training at Tucson International Airport. Since the C/D-models used for training in Tucson are Block 25 F-16s, they will next undergo two weeks of additional Block 52 instruction before returning to Pakistan.
"Even though they're flying Block 25s here, they will still be able to operate their block 52s back home. When they leave, here they will get training from Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas, on the differences," said Air Force Lt. Col. Kelly Parkinson, 195th Fighter Squadron commander. "The two blocks fly the same; it's essentially the employment of weapons that makes the difference."
The bulk of the flight training in Tucson included a transition course from the F-16A/B to the F-16C/D, flight lead upgrade training and instructor pilot certification.
"We're training these eight pilots so they can return home and be instructors themselves and teach others to fly the new F-16s," said Parkinson, a 22-year fighter pilot.
"I think the training here is very well organized and tailored to our needs. Also, the standards here are very high," Latif said. "This is going to make a big difference because we do not have the capability to make precision engagements at night with A models. Everybody understands that collateral damage is a big factor, and the sensors on the C-model will help us carry out precision engagement and close-air support."
With so much to learn, the students flew a rigorous schedule of five flights per week. The average student tempo is closer to three per week.
"The radar, data link and other avionics help create the big picture of what is going on around you. There's lots of information to process in the C model, so you have to prioritize all of the input you are getting," said Squadron Leader Yasir Malik. "But these instructors know what they are doing, and they are good teachers."
Air Force Maj. Windy Hendrick, a flight commander and 13-year F-16 pilot, has instructed students from all over the world. She said she and her fellow instructors learned a great deal about their Pakistani counterparts.
"They are all experienced pilots with 500 to 1,800 fighter hours in the F-16, and the majority of that time is combat hours in the fight against extremists," she said. "They are very humble and don't talk about their experience, but the more we learn about them and all they've done, it makes us proud to be their instructors."
"They are very dedicated [and] hard-working, and they have great attitudes. Their presence in the squadron has been a real pleasure."
When flying over the military ranges of southern Arizona, Pakistan's pilots had experienced instructors like Hendrick to guide them; but back on the ground they relied on the unit's international military student office for help with housing, transportation, documentation and adapting to American culture.
"We could not ask for more help from the IMSO office," Malik said. "They came to San Antonio to meet us before we came to Tucson to help us start our move. They went to see apartments in Tucson to help us find living arrangements, and they set up many trips all over the state. We saw so many places that we would never have found on our own.
"We would have been more confused with trying to find a place to live and get adjusted if it weren't for IMSO," he added.
It's unclear if more student pilots from Pakistan will train in Tucson; however, Parkinson said, the 162nd stands ready.
"Training capable fighter pilots for our partner-nation air forces and fostering relationships in the worldwide F-16 community is what we do," he said. "We will continue to help train Pakistan's pilots whenever we're needed."
Arizona National Guard
May 5, 2010 - Pakistan's air force soon will upgrade its 30-year-old fleet of F-16 Fighting Falcons, and the pilots charged with flying more capable fighters are ready to handle the new technology after training with the Arizona Air National Guard. Eight Pakistani air force pilots, each experienced in the F-16's A and B models, recently learned to fly the newer C- and D-model aircraft at the 162nd Fighter Wing, the international F-16 training unit at Tucson International Airport. They were honored at a graduation ceremony here yesterday.
The pilots are the first from their country to train in the United States since 1983, when the last class of Pakistani pilots trained at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.
"This graduation is historic for U.S.-Pakistan relations," said Wing Commander Ghazanfar Latif, a 12-year F-16A pilot with the Pakistani air force. "For Pakistan, our air force is gaining capabilities that it has needed for the last decade -- capabilities that are critical to ongoing operations in Pakistan's war on terror."
The new planes purchased by the Pakistani government, Block 52 versions of the multirole fighter, are far more advanced than the older A-model versions and will allow pilots to conduct operations at night and greatly enhance their use of precision munitions.
The first four of the 18 planes purchased are scheduled for delivery June 26 to Shahbaz air base in south-central Pakistan. The rest will be delivered on a staggered schedule throughout this year. In addition, Pakistan's existing F-16 fleet will undergo a mid-life update in 2011 designed to upgrade cockpits and avionics to match the F-16C/D.
In preparation for the June delivery, the eight pilots and their families will have spent 10 months in the United States navigating the upgrade-training pipeline. They spent two and half months reviewing military aviation terminology at the Defense Language Institute at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, and seven months in flight training at Tucson International Airport. Since the C/D-models used for training in Tucson are Block 25 F-16s, they will next undergo two weeks of additional Block 52 instruction before returning to Pakistan.
"Even though they're flying Block 25s here, they will still be able to operate their block 52s back home. When they leave, here they will get training from Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas, on the differences," said Air Force Lt. Col. Kelly Parkinson, 195th Fighter Squadron commander. "The two blocks fly the same; it's essentially the employment of weapons that makes the difference."
The bulk of the flight training in Tucson included a transition course from the F-16A/B to the F-16C/D, flight lead upgrade training and instructor pilot certification.
"We're training these eight pilots so they can return home and be instructors themselves and teach others to fly the new F-16s," said Parkinson, a 22-year fighter pilot.
"I think the training here is very well organized and tailored to our needs. Also, the standards here are very high," Latif said. "This is going to make a big difference because we do not have the capability to make precision engagements at night with A models. Everybody understands that collateral damage is a big factor, and the sensors on the C-model will help us carry out precision engagement and close-air support."
With so much to learn, the students flew a rigorous schedule of five flights per week. The average student tempo is closer to three per week.
"The radar, data link and other avionics help create the big picture of what is going on around you. There's lots of information to process in the C model, so you have to prioritize all of the input you are getting," said Squadron Leader Yasir Malik. "But these instructors know what they are doing, and they are good teachers."
Air Force Maj. Windy Hendrick, a flight commander and 13-year F-16 pilot, has instructed students from all over the world. She said she and her fellow instructors learned a great deal about their Pakistani counterparts.
"They are all experienced pilots with 500 to 1,800 fighter hours in the F-16, and the majority of that time is combat hours in the fight against extremists," she said. "They are very humble and don't talk about their experience, but the more we learn about them and all they've done, it makes us proud to be their instructors."
"They are very dedicated [and] hard-working, and they have great attitudes. Their presence in the squadron has been a real pleasure."
When flying over the military ranges of southern Arizona, Pakistan's pilots had experienced instructors like Hendrick to guide them; but back on the ground they relied on the unit's international military student office for help with housing, transportation, documentation and adapting to American culture.
"We could not ask for more help from the IMSO office," Malik said. "They came to San Antonio to meet us before we came to Tucson to help us start our move. They went to see apartments in Tucson to help us find living arrangements, and they set up many trips all over the state. We saw so many places that we would never have found on our own.
"We would have been more confused with trying to find a place to live and get adjusted if it weren't for IMSO," he added.
It's unclear if more student pilots from Pakistan will train in Tucson; however, Parkinson said, the 162nd stands ready.
"Training capable fighter pilots for our partner-nation air forces and fostering relationships in the worldwide F-16 community is what we do," he said. "We will continue to help train Pakistan's pilots whenever we're needed."
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Louisiana Guard Aids Oil Spill Operations
By Army Sgt. Michael L. Owens
Louisiana National Guard
May 4, 2010 - Louisiana National Guard members yesterday participated in oil-spill response operations at the Breton Sound Marina in Hopedale, La., with St. Bernard Parish officials and workers from a private company called Oil Mop.
Guardsmen from the 527th Engineer Battalion's 1022nd Engineer Company kept track of the number of oil booms that will be used to collect oil from the water as it reaches the coastline.
The soldiers were given a class on safety and immediately began loading bags of booms and stakes onto boats that are going to put the booms in place.
"As each bag is carefully loaded, it is our job to make sure that everything is counted," said Army Cpl. Caitlyn M. Jones. "That can be a hard task, because this is a big operation, but we are going to do it efficiently."
The soldiers also kept a record of the number of booms being loaded and the boats carrying them.
"We have been looking for a way to keep accountability on what is going out," said Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Namon R. Dimitroff. "The Guardsmen are helping us out tremendously, and we appreciate their help."
Louisiana National Guard
May 4, 2010 - Louisiana National Guard members yesterday participated in oil-spill response operations at the Breton Sound Marina in Hopedale, La., with St. Bernard Parish officials and workers from a private company called Oil Mop.
Guardsmen from the 527th Engineer Battalion's 1022nd Engineer Company kept track of the number of oil booms that will be used to collect oil from the water as it reaches the coastline.
The soldiers were given a class on safety and immediately began loading bags of booms and stakes onto boats that are going to put the booms in place.
"As each bag is carefully loaded, it is our job to make sure that everything is counted," said Army Cpl. Caitlyn M. Jones. "That can be a hard task, because this is a big operation, but we are going to do it efficiently."
The soldiers also kept a record of the number of booms being loaded and the boats carrying them.
"We have been looking for a way to keep accountability on what is going out," said Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Namon R. Dimitroff. "The Guardsmen are helping us out tremendously, and we appreciate their help."
Wisconsin Army National Guard Hall of Honor gains two new members
May 4, 2010 - Two retired Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldiers with a combined 74 years of military experience took their place of honor among 41 other individuals Sunday (May 2) during the 10th annual Wisconsin Army National Guard Hall of Honor induction ceremony in Witmer Hall at Joint Force Headquarters in Madison.
Retired Chief Warrant Officer 4 Douglas H. Alfke of Jackson, Wis., and retired Command Sgt. Maj. Douglas E. Gehrke of Monona, Wis., both began their careers during the Vietnam War, and both retired in 2003 following decades of dedicated service to Wisconsin and their nation.
"Despite the difficulties put upon our service members during that time, these two men stood up for what they believed in and never stopped serving - first as traditional Guardsmen, and then full time," said Brig. Gen. Don Dunbar, adjutant general of Wisconsin, who led the induction with Brig. Gen. Mark Anderson, commander of the Wisconsin Army National Guard.
Alfke joined the 32nd Infantry Brigade in 1973 after service in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. His enlisted career culminated with his assignment as first sergeant of the Red Arrow Brigade Headquarters Company. Upon his later appointment as a warrant officer, he distinguished himself by providing leadership and mentorship to the brigade's commanders, staff and Soldiers. Upon transfer to the State Headquarters, Alfke served as labor relations manager responsible for all Army and Air National Guard labor issues. He retired following a 34-year military career.
Gehrke served multiple tours in Vietnam as an artilleryman before joining the Wisconsin Army National Guard, where he enjoyed a long career in the logistics, intelligence and operations fields. He spent the last 10 years of his career in the area of training, and greatly impacted the deployment readiness of 64th Troop Command Soldiers. He retired from the Wisconsin Guard after a combined active duty and Guard career spanning 40 years.
Dunbar noted the recent return of more than 3,000 Wisconsin National Guard troops and also the approximately 500 Guard members presently deployed, and linked their present readiness to the mentorship of Soldiers such as Alfke and Gehrke.
"It is their hard work in areas of training, personnel, supply and operations that ensured the future success of our Soldiers when they began deploying in support of the global war on terror," he said. "We owe them a debt of gratitude. None of these accomplishments would be possible without the legacy left behind by Soldiers such as Chief Warrant Officer 4 Alfke and Command Sgt. Major Gehrke - outstanding Soldiers who made a difference."
Airmen provide unique 'open-the-base' capability
by Airman 1st Class Grovert Fuentes-Contreras
86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
5/4/2010 - RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AFNS) -- Transforming an abandoned airfield or an austere piece of land into a functional airfield in 12 hours might seem impossible to some, but it's just another day's work for the Airmen in Ramstein's 435th Air Mobility Squadron.
For an airfield to be "functional," command and control, aerial port operations, aerospace ground equipment, communications and maintenance capabilities all must be up and running.
As part of the 435th Air Ground Operations Wing headquartered at Ramstein, 435th AMS planners rapidly deploy light and lean cross-functional mobility teams to establish first-in expeditionary airfield operations.
If the mission alone isn't unique enough, there are numerous qualities inherent in the squadron that makes the unit stand out. One in particular is the variety of career fields, from loadmasters to communications support to aircraft maintainers, that must work together to achieve mission success.
The squadron consists of 70 personnel with 21 different Air Force specialty codes; however each mission dictates the number of personnel and amount of cargo necessary to achieve the task.
"Being a part of the (squadron), you get to see what other (specialists) do to build a base from ground up," said Master Sgt. Rodney Anthony, 435th AMS aircraft maintenance flight chief. "Nothing is more impressive than going (to a place) where there is nothing and within 24 hours we have personnel already working to set-up an operating base."
As part of the overall "open the base" mission of the 435th Contingency Response Group, the squadron is a quick-reaction unit for U.S. Air Forces in Europe. Some recent examples of their work include providing primary base support for a recent medical exercise in Serbia and an annual bilateral training exercise in Bulgaria.
In addition to supporting various exercises in the region, the unit also plays a vital role in support to the warfighter.
"Our mission is unique because we have the capability to immediately respond to a crisis within the AOR," said Maj. Leo Gage, 435th AMS director of operations. "We are an organization with a diverse skill set and even send our own Airmen with special operations personnel for exercises to better prepare them for expeditionary combat support to operations Iraqi (Freedom) and Enduring Freedom."
With such job diversity in the squadron, it also gives Airmen the opportunity to acquire knowledge from each other.
"Having just arrived here, I've realized we are so broad and diverse with an impressive mission," said Capt. Jason Powell, 435th AMS logistics support maintenance officer. "I'm still a maintenance officer, but I'm going to be well-rounded when I leave here. I'm going to have a better understanding of the whole Air Force mission, which is going to make me a better Airman."
One more factor that makes the 435th AMS special is having airborne-qualified Airmen, which helps when an area needs to be surveyed to set up landing capabilities.
"The combined 435th AGOW and 86th Airlift Wing operational readiness exercise scenario in January successfully exemplified the CRG capability to conduct airborne operations and insert an assessment team into an airfield to perform the 'open the base' capability," Major Gage said.
The vision for the unit's leaders is to continue to lead the way in contingency and mobility operations. And, they say, with these Airmen, the mission never truly stops.
"From the time we get called to wheels off the ground is only 12 hours," Sergeant Anthony said. "We are working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year on standby, and we have 12 hours to have our equipment and personnel ready to go and wheels off the ground. That is just phenomenal."
86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
5/4/2010 - RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AFNS) -- Transforming an abandoned airfield or an austere piece of land into a functional airfield in 12 hours might seem impossible to some, but it's just another day's work for the Airmen in Ramstein's 435th Air Mobility Squadron.
For an airfield to be "functional," command and control, aerial port operations, aerospace ground equipment, communications and maintenance capabilities all must be up and running.
As part of the 435th Air Ground Operations Wing headquartered at Ramstein, 435th AMS planners rapidly deploy light and lean cross-functional mobility teams to establish first-in expeditionary airfield operations.
If the mission alone isn't unique enough, there are numerous qualities inherent in the squadron that makes the unit stand out. One in particular is the variety of career fields, from loadmasters to communications support to aircraft maintainers, that must work together to achieve mission success.
The squadron consists of 70 personnel with 21 different Air Force specialty codes; however each mission dictates the number of personnel and amount of cargo necessary to achieve the task.
"Being a part of the (squadron), you get to see what other (specialists) do to build a base from ground up," said Master Sgt. Rodney Anthony, 435th AMS aircraft maintenance flight chief. "Nothing is more impressive than going (to a place) where there is nothing and within 24 hours we have personnel already working to set-up an operating base."
As part of the overall "open the base" mission of the 435th Contingency Response Group, the squadron is a quick-reaction unit for U.S. Air Forces in Europe. Some recent examples of their work include providing primary base support for a recent medical exercise in Serbia and an annual bilateral training exercise in Bulgaria.
In addition to supporting various exercises in the region, the unit also plays a vital role in support to the warfighter.
"Our mission is unique because we have the capability to immediately respond to a crisis within the AOR," said Maj. Leo Gage, 435th AMS director of operations. "We are an organization with a diverse skill set and even send our own Airmen with special operations personnel for exercises to better prepare them for expeditionary combat support to operations Iraqi (Freedom) and Enduring Freedom."
With such job diversity in the squadron, it also gives Airmen the opportunity to acquire knowledge from each other.
"Having just arrived here, I've realized we are so broad and diverse with an impressive mission," said Capt. Jason Powell, 435th AMS logistics support maintenance officer. "I'm still a maintenance officer, but I'm going to be well-rounded when I leave here. I'm going to have a better understanding of the whole Air Force mission, which is going to make me a better Airman."
One more factor that makes the 435th AMS special is having airborne-qualified Airmen, which helps when an area needs to be surveyed to set up landing capabilities.
"The combined 435th AGOW and 86th Airlift Wing operational readiness exercise scenario in January successfully exemplified the CRG capability to conduct airborne operations and insert an assessment team into an airfield to perform the 'open the base' capability," Major Gage said.
The vision for the unit's leaders is to continue to lead the way in contingency and mobility operations. And, they say, with these Airmen, the mission never truly stops.
"From the time we get called to wheels off the ground is only 12 hours," Sergeant Anthony said. "We are working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year on standby, and we have 12 hours to have our equipment and personnel ready to go and wheels off the ground. That is just phenomenal."
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(5/2/10) - On May 3, the North Dakota Air National Guard will welcome Airmen scheduled to return home from a two-week humanitarian mission in Ghana.
The 34 Airmen are members of the 119th Wing Civil Engineer Squadron, who deployed to Ghana April 19 to work on two major construction projects there. They replaced a group of Airmen from the 127th Civil Engineer Squadron from the Michigan Air National Guard.
"It was impressive to see everything that was being accomplished by these North Dakota Airmen," said Army Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk, the adjutant general of North Dakota, who visited Ghana last week. "This was a humanitarian mission to provide construction in a training environment.
"Since we began working with the State Partnership Program six years ago, we have formed a great relationship with the people of Ghana and being able to perform missions like these is not only rewarding, but beneficial in today's military environment."
Last week, the Airmen finished work on a complex at the School of Trade Training at Burma Camp, a Ghanaian military complex near Accra, Ghana's capital. They painted the facility, installed doors and windows, replaced walls, completed electrical work, installed fans and air conditioning, plastered the exterior walls and more at the building that will be used to provide training to the Ghanaian Armed Forces.
"We have had the chance to work side by side with the Ghanaian Army Engineers on these projects," said Maj. John Gibbs of the 119th Wing Civil Engineer Squadron. "We are able to share our skills and learn from each other. This type of training and overall cultural experience is invaluable in our career field."
The Airmen also worked on a project in Takoradi, in Ghana's western region to renovate a medical laboratory facility co-located with the Ghanaian Armed Forces' 2nd Battalion. The Airmen prepared the roof for installation, installed the underground sanitary hookup and completed masonry work in the window and door openings of the building. They also hooked up utilities, such as electric, water and sewer to the building there they stayed during the deployment.
"The Happy Hooligans have a reputation of working hard and getting the job done," said Gibbs. "We have definitely lived up to our reputation here and accomplished everything that we were tasked with, even in the heat. Now that we've been acclimated to working in temps over 100 degrees, we should be ready for summer in North Dakota now."
North Dakota has been partners with Ghana since 2004 as part of the State Partnership Program, which is sponsored by the Department of Defense. The program aligns states with partner countries to encourage the development of economic, political and military ties.
During the past six years, more than 180 North Dakota Guardsmen, Ghana military members and civilians have taken part in State Partnership Program events and workshops. The current mission is providing valuable training on contingency skills for the Airmen while helping Ghanaians.
Article sponsored by computer repair online.
The 34 Airmen are members of the 119th Wing Civil Engineer Squadron, who deployed to Ghana April 19 to work on two major construction projects there. They replaced a group of Airmen from the 127th Civil Engineer Squadron from the Michigan Air National Guard.
"It was impressive to see everything that was being accomplished by these North Dakota Airmen," said Army Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk, the adjutant general of North Dakota, who visited Ghana last week. "This was a humanitarian mission to provide construction in a training environment.
"Since we began working with the State Partnership Program six years ago, we have formed a great relationship with the people of Ghana and being able to perform missions like these is not only rewarding, but beneficial in today's military environment."
Last week, the Airmen finished work on a complex at the School of Trade Training at Burma Camp, a Ghanaian military complex near Accra, Ghana's capital. They painted the facility, installed doors and windows, replaced walls, completed electrical work, installed fans and air conditioning, plastered the exterior walls and more at the building that will be used to provide training to the Ghanaian Armed Forces.
"We have had the chance to work side by side with the Ghanaian Army Engineers on these projects," said Maj. John Gibbs of the 119th Wing Civil Engineer Squadron. "We are able to share our skills and learn from each other. This type of training and overall cultural experience is invaluable in our career field."
The Airmen also worked on a project in Takoradi, in Ghana's western region to renovate a medical laboratory facility co-located with the Ghanaian Armed Forces' 2nd Battalion. The Airmen prepared the roof for installation, installed the underground sanitary hookup and completed masonry work in the window and door openings of the building. They also hooked up utilities, such as electric, water and sewer to the building there they stayed during the deployment.
"The Happy Hooligans have a reputation of working hard and getting the job done," said Gibbs. "We have definitely lived up to our reputation here and accomplished everything that we were tasked with, even in the heat. Now that we've been acclimated to working in temps over 100 degrees, we should be ready for summer in North Dakota now."
North Dakota has been partners with Ghana since 2004 as part of the State Partnership Program, which is sponsored by the Department of Defense. The program aligns states with partner countries to encourage the development of economic, political and military ties.
During the past six years, more than 180 North Dakota Guardsmen, Ghana military members and civilians have taken part in State Partnership Program events and workshops. The current mission is providing valuable training on contingency skills for the Airmen while helping Ghanaians.
Article sponsored by computer repair online.
National Guard Chief Notes Pain of Transformation
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
May 4, 2010 - The National Guard is transforming itself to meet the threats of the 21st century, but the transition is hard and will be painful for units, the chief of the National Guard Bureau said here today.
Air Force Gen. Craig R. McKinley spoke during a breakfast meeting of the Defense Writers Group.
"We are in transition to a new type of force to be more relevant in today's wars," McKinley said.
Balance is the operative word in the Defense Department this year, the general said.
"How do we make a balanced force – both Army and Air Guard – that allows us to do the services' requirements, but still gives the governors flexibility and capability at home?" McKinley asked. "The National Guard is adapting to the changing styles of warfare. I couldn't have predicted 15 years ago that we would have used more that 80 percent of our Army Guard in full rotation fighting over a period of almost nine years. But we were able to adapt."
In the mid-1990s, McKinley said, it was difficult to train up Guard formations for operations in the Balkans. "Now, we can take of formation of 2,000 people and within 90 days have them ready to deploy to Afghanistan," he said. "I don't think we could have done that 15 years ago."
Times have changed, the general said, and so has the National Guard. "We have to be a more agile and quick response force," he said. "The old rules of the 20th century are just not relevant."
The transition will be especially painful in the Air National Guard, where new missions, new equipment and new threats drive the process, the general said. The Air Guard still operates at bases they started using at the end of World War II, he explained, and many units are fighter units flying aircraft that are ending their operational lives. Now, he said, the country needs units that can operate unmanned aerial vehicles and manage intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets, McKinley said. Other personnel will be needed in command and control and intelligence functions.
"We are transitioning to a new place," he said. "But it's going to be painful for many of our units."
The Army National Guard went through a modernization effort after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The Army equipped Guard units with the latest equipment and integrated them into the larger force.
"It's produced a force that is on average between 50,000 and 60,000 soldiers fighting ... in Iraq and Afghanistan," McKinley said. "With an overall force of 358,000, we believe we can sustain this indefinitely."
Army Guard troops are in a 1-to-3 ratio of years deployed to years at home, the general said, and he would like to see that ratio at 1-to-5. "The Army Guard worked as it was supposed to," he said. "[The United States was] confronted with two land wars and used the Army National Guard as a shock absorber, because the U.S. Army asn't big enough. And it still may not be big enough."
Even with the high deployment rate, National Guard recruiting and retention numbers "defy all logic," McKinley said.
"They are the highest they've ever been," he said. "Our retention in the Army Guard approaches 100 percent. We've had to shut down recruiting, because we have already met our goals, and I believe it is sustainable."
The Guard is a joint force, especially in the United States, McKinley said.
"The fact that we have an Army Guard and an Air Guard sometimes is irrelevant when you're fighting a flood or doing things in the Gulf of Mexico," he said. Governors use the highly trained and highly skilled Guardsmen as needed, he added.
"There are 66,000 Guardsmen working around the world in various capacities – mostly Army Guardsmen in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also a large number of Air Guardsmen," McKinley said. "We are proud of what we are, and proud of what we've become. We've transformed ourselves."
Article sponsored by computer repair online.
American Forces Press Service
May 4, 2010 - The National Guard is transforming itself to meet the threats of the 21st century, but the transition is hard and will be painful for units, the chief of the National Guard Bureau said here today.
Air Force Gen. Craig R. McKinley spoke during a breakfast meeting of the Defense Writers Group.
"We are in transition to a new type of force to be more relevant in today's wars," McKinley said.
Balance is the operative word in the Defense Department this year, the general said.
"How do we make a balanced force – both Army and Air Guard – that allows us to do the services' requirements, but still gives the governors flexibility and capability at home?" McKinley asked. "The National Guard is adapting to the changing styles of warfare. I couldn't have predicted 15 years ago that we would have used more that 80 percent of our Army Guard in full rotation fighting over a period of almost nine years. But we were able to adapt."
In the mid-1990s, McKinley said, it was difficult to train up Guard formations for operations in the Balkans. "Now, we can take of formation of 2,000 people and within 90 days have them ready to deploy to Afghanistan," he said. "I don't think we could have done that 15 years ago."
Times have changed, the general said, and so has the National Guard. "We have to be a more agile and quick response force," he said. "The old rules of the 20th century are just not relevant."
The transition will be especially painful in the Air National Guard, where new missions, new equipment and new threats drive the process, the general said. The Air Guard still operates at bases they started using at the end of World War II, he explained, and many units are fighter units flying aircraft that are ending their operational lives. Now, he said, the country needs units that can operate unmanned aerial vehicles and manage intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets, McKinley said. Other personnel will be needed in command and control and intelligence functions.
"We are transitioning to a new place," he said. "But it's going to be painful for many of our units."
The Army National Guard went through a modernization effort after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The Army equipped Guard units with the latest equipment and integrated them into the larger force.
"It's produced a force that is on average between 50,000 and 60,000 soldiers fighting ... in Iraq and Afghanistan," McKinley said. "With an overall force of 358,000, we believe we can sustain this indefinitely."
Army Guard troops are in a 1-to-3 ratio of years deployed to years at home, the general said, and he would like to see that ratio at 1-to-5. "The Army Guard worked as it was supposed to," he said. "[The United States was] confronted with two land wars and used the Army National Guard as a shock absorber, because the U.S. Army asn't big enough. And it still may not be big enough."
Even with the high deployment rate, National Guard recruiting and retention numbers "defy all logic," McKinley said.
"They are the highest they've ever been," he said. "Our retention in the Army Guard approaches 100 percent. We've had to shut down recruiting, because we have already met our goals, and I believe it is sustainable."
The Guard is a joint force, especially in the United States, McKinley said.
"The fact that we have an Army Guard and an Air Guard sometimes is irrelevant when you're fighting a flood or doing things in the Gulf of Mexico," he said. Governors use the highly trained and highly skilled Guardsmen as needed, he added.
"There are 66,000 Guardsmen working around the world in various capacities – mostly Army Guardsmen in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also a large number of Air Guardsmen," McKinley said. "We are proud of what we are, and proud of what we've become. We've transformed ourselves."
Article sponsored by computer repair online.
Wisconsin Guard unit shows community what it's made of
By Staff Sgt. Brian Jopek
112th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
May 4, 2010 - The Wisconsin Army National Guard is there when called upon to defend the nation, and it is there for natural disasters and other state emergencies. Recently, residents in the Berlin community had the opportunity to see what skills and equipment Guard Soldiers bring when they are called.
"The armory is owned by the people of the state of Wisconsin," said Lt. Col. Robert Boelkow, commander of the 332nd Rear Operations Center, based in Berlin. "They deserve to see what they have."
In addition to displays of military weapons and vehicles, the open house included displays of a unit tactical operations center featuring which focused on the ROC's role in coordinating state military response to a mock flood situation in the Berlin area, unit history, the state's Family Life program, the unit's Family Readiness Group, and the Recruiting and Retention Command's rock wall. The open house was also supported by the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post, whose members held a brat fry.
Boelkow said several unit members came in the day before on their free time and then early Saturday morning to help set up.
One of the more popular displays was the all terrain version of the military's Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) line of vehicles. Known as the M-ATV, the vehicle on display had rolled off the production line at the Oshkosh Corp. plant the day before. After the open house, the M-ATV was taken to South Carolina for shipment to Afghanistan.
That was just one example of what Boelkow said helped make the open house a success. Weapons from other units were loaned for display as well. "That shows the level of support from other units and organizations," he said.
"The purpose of this open house, basically, was to make the community aware of the National Guard and how we support them in more than just a wartime situation," he continued. "This community has just always been very supportive of the 332nd."
112th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
May 4, 2010 - The Wisconsin Army National Guard is there when called upon to defend the nation, and it is there for natural disasters and other state emergencies. Recently, residents in the Berlin community had the opportunity to see what skills and equipment Guard Soldiers bring when they are called.
"The armory is owned by the people of the state of Wisconsin," said Lt. Col. Robert Boelkow, commander of the 332nd Rear Operations Center, based in Berlin. "They deserve to see what they have."
In addition to displays of military weapons and vehicles, the open house included displays of a unit tactical operations center featuring which focused on the ROC's role in coordinating state military response to a mock flood situation in the Berlin area, unit history, the state's Family Life program, the unit's Family Readiness Group, and the Recruiting and Retention Command's rock wall. The open house was also supported by the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post, whose members held a brat fry.
Boelkow said several unit members came in the day before on their free time and then early Saturday morning to help set up.
One of the more popular displays was the all terrain version of the military's Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) line of vehicles. Known as the M-ATV, the vehicle on display had rolled off the production line at the Oshkosh Corp. plant the day before. After the open house, the M-ATV was taken to South Carolina for shipment to Afghanistan.
That was just one example of what Boelkow said helped make the open house a success. Weapons from other units were loaned for display as well. "That shows the level of support from other units and organizations," he said.
"The purpose of this open house, basically, was to make the community aware of the National Guard and how we support them in more than just a wartime situation," he continued. "This community has just always been very supportive of the 332nd."
Iwo Jima Wraps Up Fleet Week Port Everglades
By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (AW/NAC) Eric J. Rowley, USS Iwo Jima Public Affairs
May 4, 2010 - USS IWO JIMA, At Sea (NNS) -- The amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) departed Port Everglades, Fla. May 3, after successfully completing the 20th Annual Fleet Week Port Everglades.
Fleet weeks are designed to show local communities what the military does and the equipment they use. They also give Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen the chance to interact with local communities.
"Fleet Week was fantastic," said Aviation Electronics Technician 2nd Class Cory Clark. "The food and functions were great, and we had the opportunity to listen to a lot of other people's stories. So many people showed their support and everyone was thankful we were there."
Fleet Week Port Everglades offered many opportunities to see and experience different activities in South Florida, such as glass bottom boat tours, fan boat tours of the Everglades, a major league baseball game and beach activities.
Iwo Jima hosted tours where the local community came aboard and learned a little about the Navy and Marine Corps team.
"I enjoyed working as a tour guide," said Aviation Support Equipment Technician 3rd Class Emily Demario.
"It was great to see how interested the children were in what we do. I think it's important for other communities who are unfamiliar with the military to get a chance to see the good in the Navy and Marines. It was one of the best experiences I have had in the military. I learned a lot about my ship and the Marines. I hope I get a chance to do this again soon."
Iwo Jima Sailors and Marines also participated in many community relations projects like children's hospital visits, elementary school visits and Habitat for Humanity.
"There were a lot of great activities to do like baseball games and snorkeling," said Aviation Technician Airman Adam Sexton. "The communities were very supportive of us; some people even bought us meals. It's important to be good ambassadors and do stuff like Habitat for Humanity because it shows that we care about our local communities. I had a blast during Fleet Week."
Overall, the Sailors, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and the community all benefited from the Fleet Week Port Everglades experience.
May 4, 2010 - USS IWO JIMA, At Sea (NNS) -- The amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) departed Port Everglades, Fla. May 3, after successfully completing the 20th Annual Fleet Week Port Everglades.
Fleet weeks are designed to show local communities what the military does and the equipment they use. They also give Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen the chance to interact with local communities.
"Fleet Week was fantastic," said Aviation Electronics Technician 2nd Class Cory Clark. "The food and functions were great, and we had the opportunity to listen to a lot of other people's stories. So many people showed their support and everyone was thankful we were there."
Fleet Week Port Everglades offered many opportunities to see and experience different activities in South Florida, such as glass bottom boat tours, fan boat tours of the Everglades, a major league baseball game and beach activities.
Iwo Jima hosted tours where the local community came aboard and learned a little about the Navy and Marine Corps team.
"I enjoyed working as a tour guide," said Aviation Support Equipment Technician 3rd Class Emily Demario.
"It was great to see how interested the children were in what we do. I think it's important for other communities who are unfamiliar with the military to get a chance to see the good in the Navy and Marines. It was one of the best experiences I have had in the military. I learned a lot about my ship and the Marines. I hope I get a chance to do this again soon."
Iwo Jima Sailors and Marines also participated in many community relations projects like children's hospital visits, elementary school visits and Habitat for Humanity.
"There were a lot of great activities to do like baseball games and snorkeling," said Aviation Technician Airman Adam Sexton. "The communities were very supportive of us; some people even bought us meals. It's important to be good ambassadors and do stuff like Habitat for Humanity because it shows that we care about our local communities. I had a blast during Fleet Week."
Overall, the Sailors, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and the community all benefited from the Fleet Week Port Everglades experience.
MILITARY CONTRACTS May 4, 2010
NAVY
L-3 Communications Corp., Salt Lake City, Utah, is being awarded a $70,805,737 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for hardware and services in support of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division's Surface/Aviation Interoperability Laboratory. Services to be provided include upgrades, maintenance, repair, spares, systems engineering support (integration and installation) and testing of various tactical common data link systems. The estimated level of effort for this contract is 36,700 man-hours. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Md., and is expected to be completed in May 2015. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00421-10-D-0013).
Northrop Grumman Corp., Integrated Systems, El Segundo, Calif., is being awarded a $35,194,492 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of 33 Center Barrels and loose and miscellaneous parts for the F/A-18 A-D aircraft. Work will be performed in El Segundo, Calif., and is expected to be completed in October 2013. Contract funds in the amount of $4,931,095 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-10-C-0052).
Clark/Balfour Beatty, JV, Bethesda, Md., is being awarded a $24,135,408 firm-fixed-price contract for design and construction of an approximately 1204-space multi-use parking structure located in the community services district at the National Naval Medical Center Bethesda. Work will be performed in Bethesda, Md., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was procured as a sole source in accordance with FAR 6.302-1. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Washington, Officer in Charge of Construction, Bethesda, Md., is the contracting activity (N40080-10-C-1503).
BAE Systems Tactical Vehicle, LP, Sealy, Texas, is being awarded $14,097,655 for firm-fixed-priced delivery order #0006 under previously awarded contract (M67854-07-D-5030) for the procurement of the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle university field services representative and instructors to service the Caiman MRAP vehicles. Work will be performed in the continental United States and outside the continental U.S., and work is expected to be completed by the end of December 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $14,097,655 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY
Raytheon Co., Integrated Defense Systems, Woburn, Mass., is being awarded a sole-source cost-plus-award-fee modification with a total value of $12,595,000 under contract HQ0006-03-C-0047. Under this modification, Raytheon will develop and integrate an X-band simulation tester which is a radar digital signal injection system that will interface with the X-band family of radars to provide test and performance assessment capability. The work will be performed in Woburn, Massachusetts. The performance period is from April 2010 through March 2011. Fiscal year 2010 Research, Development, Test and Evaluation funds will be used to incrementally fund this effort in the amount of $6,161,180. The Missile Defense Agency is the contracting activity (HQ0006).
L-3 Communications Corp., Salt Lake City, Utah, is being awarded a $70,805,737 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for hardware and services in support of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division's Surface/Aviation Interoperability Laboratory. Services to be provided include upgrades, maintenance, repair, spares, systems engineering support (integration and installation) and testing of various tactical common data link systems. The estimated level of effort for this contract is 36,700 man-hours. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Md., and is expected to be completed in May 2015. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00421-10-D-0013).
Northrop Grumman Corp., Integrated Systems, El Segundo, Calif., is being awarded a $35,194,492 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of 33 Center Barrels and loose and miscellaneous parts for the F/A-18 A-D aircraft. Work will be performed in El Segundo, Calif., and is expected to be completed in October 2013. Contract funds in the amount of $4,931,095 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-10-C-0052).
Clark/Balfour Beatty, JV, Bethesda, Md., is being awarded a $24,135,408 firm-fixed-price contract for design and construction of an approximately 1204-space multi-use parking structure located in the community services district at the National Naval Medical Center Bethesda. Work will be performed in Bethesda, Md., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was procured as a sole source in accordance with FAR 6.302-1. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Washington, Officer in Charge of Construction, Bethesda, Md., is the contracting activity (N40080-10-C-1503).
BAE Systems Tactical Vehicle, LP, Sealy, Texas, is being awarded $14,097,655 for firm-fixed-priced delivery order #0006 under previously awarded contract (M67854-07-D-5030) for the procurement of the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle university field services representative and instructors to service the Caiman MRAP vehicles. Work will be performed in the continental United States and outside the continental U.S., and work is expected to be completed by the end of December 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $14,097,655 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY
Raytheon Co., Integrated Defense Systems, Woburn, Mass., is being awarded a sole-source cost-plus-award-fee modification with a total value of $12,595,000 under contract HQ0006-03-C-0047. Under this modification, Raytheon will develop and integrate an X-band simulation tester which is a radar digital signal injection system that will interface with the X-band family of radars to provide test and performance assessment capability. The work will be performed in Woburn, Massachusetts. The performance period is from April 2010 through March 2011. Fiscal year 2010 Research, Development, Test and Evaluation funds will be used to incrementally fund this effort in the amount of $6,161,180. The Missile Defense Agency is the contracting activity (HQ0006).
Get Me to the Doc on Time: Volunteer Driver Clocks 200 Miles Daily
Jerry Hatchett drives 200 miles a day, making sure Veteran patients get to their appointments.
Jerry Hatchett is no ordinary van driver. He's a VA volunteer driver who escorts Veterans to and from the VA Medical Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Every Wednesday, Hatchett leaves his house at 4:45am and doesn't return home until 4 in the afternoon. His nearly 12-hour day is filled with miles and miles on the road as he picks up and drops off Veterans in need of a ride to the medical center.
"I typically drive 200 miles a day," said Hatchett. These miles are charted without leaving the Oklahoma City metro area. Usually, he will cover one half of the city while another volunteer drives the other half of the sprawling area.
A marine Veteran, Hatchett values his time spent helping fellow military men and women. Over the past five years of volunteering, he has been around to offer a friendly grin and chat with the passengers he takes to medical appointments.
"People tell me things about their kids or something about their past. It's really nice to have that kind of connection with them," he said.
"When I see patients get well, it's a wonderful thing."
Jerry Hatchett loads the van with Veterans heading home after their visit to the VA Medical Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
But that's not what makes Hatchett happiest about his job. He explained, "When I see patients get well, it is a wonderful thing. It's nice to see when they've healed and pretty much gone on their own."
"Jerry takes his volunteering very seriously, developing a relationship with his passengers. He goes above and beyond to meet the requests of those Veterans," said Richard Maxey, Chief of Voluntary Services in Oklahoma City.
Veterans who have Hatchett chauffeur them to the VA realize he likes to partake in a healthy dialogue — and he might even offer them some advice. During his drives, he talks to patients about "anything from politics to marriage counseling. A lot of problems are resolved through our conversations."
When Hatchett is not volunteering, he can be found in his workshop building furniture, playing a round of golf, or spending time with his family. He and his wife of nearly 50 years are expecting their fourth great-grandchild in the next few months.
Jerry is one of those guys who found a job he likes to do and knows the value of helping others. "I have thoroughly enjoyed my volunteer job," he said. "If you have any desire to volunteer, don't hesitate."
Six Names Added to Vietnam Veterans Memorial
By Ian Graham
Emerging Media, Defense Media Activity
May 4, 2010 - This week, the names of six American servicemembers will join the list of other departed or missing troops featured on the intersecting black-granite walls of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Army Lt. Col. William Taylor's name was engraved at a ceremony today at the memorial on the National Mall here. The names of Marine Corps Lance Cpls. John Granville and Clayton Hough Jr., Marine Corps Cpl. Ronald Vivona, Army Capt. Edward Miles and Army Sgt. Michael Morehouse will be added later this week.
The new additions are veterans who survived serious injury in the war but were determined by Defense Department officials to have "died as a result of wounds [combat or hostile related] sustained in the combat zone" that required drastic measures, such as amputation.
"It's an important honor to pay tribute to our nation's veterans – of Vietnam, especially," said J.C. Cummings, the architect of record for the memorial. The main part of the memorial was completed in 1982.
Cummings said a space on the wall allows Taylor's name to fit the chronological scheme as if his name had been in the database of fallen soldiers when the wall was first built. Of the six names being added to the wall this week, three of them can be placed as such, he said.
"When these young men were over there, their units became a family, a military family," Cummings said. "We're lucky because we can put the name where it belongs, with their brothers and sisters in arms."
Taylor's nephew, Thomas Carpenter, was in attendance today, along with family members of the five other servicemembers whose names are being added to the wall. Photos of each man were shown as each family gave a small tribute to their lost relative.
"I'm humbled in front of this wall," Carpenter said, "where they are forever young, strong and brave."
James Lee, a stoneworker whose Colorado-based company has worked at the wall since 1987, said each name takes at least a few days to prepare. Multiple test stones are used to ensure the newly engraved names match the older ones in shape, size and depth.
"Every name that we add to the memorial further completes it," he said.
The engravings for 11 other servicemembers, from the Army and Air Force, will be modified to reflect that they're no longer considered missing in action.
The changes will bring the total number of names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to 58,267 men and women who were killed or remain missing in action. The six new names will become official when they are read aloud during the annual Memorial Day ceremony May 31 at 1 p.m.
Gates Approves Federal Money for Guard Units in Gulf
By Donna Miles and Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
May 4, 2010 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has given verbal approval to the governors of Alabama, Mississippi and Florida for Title 32 status for National Guardsmen to help to combat the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The requests are in addition to Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's request for up to 6,000 National Guardsmen to be covered under Title 32 authority that the secretary approved yesterday, Pentagon spokesman Marine Corps Col. David Lapan said.
Alabama requested up to 3,000 Guardsmen, Mississippi requested 6,000, and Florida requested up to 2,500. Louisiana has employed about 1,200 Guardsmen on Title 32 status, and they are providing command-and-control and sandbagging assistance in St. Bernard and Plaquemine parishes. Guardsmen possibly could be used in communications, logistics, transportation, assessment, medical, aviation support and shoreline clean-up, Lapan said.
Once the secretary gives approval for the Guard units to operate under Title 32 authority, "what puts them into action are requests from the on-scene federal coordinator," Lapan said.
Most of the 1,200 Louisiana Guardsmen are from the 225th Engineer Brigade with headquarters in Pineville, La. However, many of the volunteers are from the brigade's battalions located throughout the state, said Army Col. Mike Deville, state public affairs officer.
All Guardsmen are receiving Occupational Safety and Health Administration training as they come on duty to deal with contaminants when and if they come ashore.
The Guardsmen have pre-positioned a package of engineering and logistics equipment to be able to respond as quickly as needed, and they've helped the Coast Guard load booms on boats for deployment. They also are running aviation missions not only to provide reconnaissance of the oil slick, but also to ensure that boom equipment hasn't shifted position, officials said.
The oil slick has not reached shore yet, said Air Force Gen. Craig R. McKinley, chief of the National Guard Bureau here.
"We have a good construct to operate in," McKinley said during a Defense Writers Group breakfast today. The Coast Guard is the lead federal agency in the crisis, and National Guard leaders in the region have a good working relationship with the service, McKinley said.
Title 32 authority means the Guardsmen continue to work for the governors of the states, McKinley said. "It also gives the federal government the opportunity to recover the funds through the Oil-Spill Recovery Act," he said.
The general said Jindal has indicated he will pre-position forces so he can react if the spill comes ashore. The pre-positioning will allow authorities to "get the needed people and equipment from the civilian agencies to the scene quickly and rapidly so we can assist BP and the other oil companies – who are taking a very proactive response," McKinley said.
"We'll be part of that community-based force that knows the roads, knows the back roads, knows the estuaries and knows the parish leadership," he added, "and get the real experts to the scene, secure the site, set up relief efforts to feed people [and] to do the kinds of things a large relief operation will require."
The Louisiana National Guard still has the high-water vehicles that were used in Hurricane Katrina relief operations, and the state has learned a lot since that catastrophe in 2005, the general noted.
"There has been marked improvement since Katrina in how the state of Louisiana attacks a problem like this," McKinley said.
American Forces Press Service
May 4, 2010 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has given verbal approval to the governors of Alabama, Mississippi and Florida for Title 32 status for National Guardsmen to help to combat the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The requests are in addition to Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's request for up to 6,000 National Guardsmen to be covered under Title 32 authority that the secretary approved yesterday, Pentagon spokesman Marine Corps Col. David Lapan said.
Alabama requested up to 3,000 Guardsmen, Mississippi requested 6,000, and Florida requested up to 2,500. Louisiana has employed about 1,200 Guardsmen on Title 32 status, and they are providing command-and-control and sandbagging assistance in St. Bernard and Plaquemine parishes. Guardsmen possibly could be used in communications, logistics, transportation, assessment, medical, aviation support and shoreline clean-up, Lapan said.
Once the secretary gives approval for the Guard units to operate under Title 32 authority, "what puts them into action are requests from the on-scene federal coordinator," Lapan said.
Most of the 1,200 Louisiana Guardsmen are from the 225th Engineer Brigade with headquarters in Pineville, La. However, many of the volunteers are from the brigade's battalions located throughout the state, said Army Col. Mike Deville, state public affairs officer.
All Guardsmen are receiving Occupational Safety and Health Administration training as they come on duty to deal with contaminants when and if they come ashore.
The Guardsmen have pre-positioned a package of engineering and logistics equipment to be able to respond as quickly as needed, and they've helped the Coast Guard load booms on boats for deployment. They also are running aviation missions not only to provide reconnaissance of the oil slick, but also to ensure that boom equipment hasn't shifted position, officials said.
The oil slick has not reached shore yet, said Air Force Gen. Craig R. McKinley, chief of the National Guard Bureau here.
"We have a good construct to operate in," McKinley said during a Defense Writers Group breakfast today. The Coast Guard is the lead federal agency in the crisis, and National Guard leaders in the region have a good working relationship with the service, McKinley said.
Title 32 authority means the Guardsmen continue to work for the governors of the states, McKinley said. "It also gives the federal government the opportunity to recover the funds through the Oil-Spill Recovery Act," he said.
The general said Jindal has indicated he will pre-position forces so he can react if the spill comes ashore. The pre-positioning will allow authorities to "get the needed people and equipment from the civilian agencies to the scene quickly and rapidly so we can assist BP and the other oil companies – who are taking a very proactive response," McKinley said.
"We'll be part of that community-based force that knows the roads, knows the back roads, knows the estuaries and knows the parish leadership," he added, "and get the real experts to the scene, secure the site, set up relief efforts to feed people [and] to do the kinds of things a large relief operation will require."
The Louisiana National Guard still has the high-water vehicles that were used in Hurricane Katrina relief operations, and the state has learned a lot since that catastrophe in 2005, the general noted.
"There has been marked improvement since Katrina in how the state of Louisiana attacks a problem like this," McKinley said.
Army Captain Stole in Excess of $690,000
Army Officer Sentenced to 30 Months in Federal Prison After Admitting Theft of Government Property Related to DOD Contracts in Support of Iraq War
May 4, 2010 - PORTLAND, OR—Capt. Michael Dung Nguyen, 28, of Ft. Lewis, Washington, was sentenced today to 30 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Ancer L. Haggerty following his guilty pleas to the crimes of theft of government property and structuring financial transactions. Nguyen was ordered to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on September 1, 2010. In addition to imprisonment, Judge Haggerty order Nguyen to serve three years of supervised release, pay restitution in the amount of $200,000 and forfeit his interest in all personal property he bought with the stolen money as well as the remaining funds seized by the government at the time of his arrest.
Nguyen previously admitted that while on deployment to Iraq, he stole and converted to his own use approximately $690,000 in United States currency. Nguyen gained access to the funds in his capacity as the Project Purchasing Officer in the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment of the United States Army. The money was derived from Commander's Emergency Response Program (CERP) funds. CERP funds are the property of the United States and are managed by the Department of Defense (DOD). The currency was intended as payment for security contracts with the Sons of Iraq as well as humanitarian relief and reconstruction programs.
Nguyen transported the stolen CERP funds into the District of Oregon by mailing the stolen CERP funds to himself at his family’s Oregon residence prior to his return from Iraq. Shortly after his return from Iraq, Nguyen opened new bank accounts at Bank of America, Washington Mutual Bank, America’s Credit Union and Heritage Bank and proceeded to deposit $387,550.00 of the stolen CERP money into those accounts in Oregon and elsewhere. Between June 9, 2008 and September 26, 2008, Nguyen made repeated deposits of the stolen CERP funds in a manner that was intended to evade federal reporting requirements for the deposit of large amounts of currency.
After depositing the money in the accounts, Nguyen purchased a 2008 BMW and a 2009 Hummer H3T, in addition to purchasing computers, firearms, electronics and furniture. During the execution of a search warrant, investigators discovered over $300,000 in stolen CERP funds hidden in the attic of Nguyen’s Portland family home.
The investigation was initiated by the Portland office of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation following the discovery of large and frequent currency deposits and substantial expenditures above Captain Nguyen’s legitimate income level. The investigation was joined by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Army CID's Major Procurement Fraud Unit and Defense Criminal Investigative Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug prosecuted the case.
May 4, 2010 - PORTLAND, OR—Capt. Michael Dung Nguyen, 28, of Ft. Lewis, Washington, was sentenced today to 30 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Ancer L. Haggerty following his guilty pleas to the crimes of theft of government property and structuring financial transactions. Nguyen was ordered to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on September 1, 2010. In addition to imprisonment, Judge Haggerty order Nguyen to serve three years of supervised release, pay restitution in the amount of $200,000 and forfeit his interest in all personal property he bought with the stolen money as well as the remaining funds seized by the government at the time of his arrest.
Nguyen previously admitted that while on deployment to Iraq, he stole and converted to his own use approximately $690,000 in United States currency. Nguyen gained access to the funds in his capacity as the Project Purchasing Officer in the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment of the United States Army. The money was derived from Commander's Emergency Response Program (CERP) funds. CERP funds are the property of the United States and are managed by the Department of Defense (DOD). The currency was intended as payment for security contracts with the Sons of Iraq as well as humanitarian relief and reconstruction programs.
Nguyen transported the stolen CERP funds into the District of Oregon by mailing the stolen CERP funds to himself at his family’s Oregon residence prior to his return from Iraq. Shortly after his return from Iraq, Nguyen opened new bank accounts at Bank of America, Washington Mutual Bank, America’s Credit Union and Heritage Bank and proceeded to deposit $387,550.00 of the stolen CERP money into those accounts in Oregon and elsewhere. Between June 9, 2008 and September 26, 2008, Nguyen made repeated deposits of the stolen CERP funds in a manner that was intended to evade federal reporting requirements for the deposit of large amounts of currency.
After depositing the money in the accounts, Nguyen purchased a 2008 BMW and a 2009 Hummer H3T, in addition to purchasing computers, firearms, electronics and furniture. During the execution of a search warrant, investigators discovered over $300,000 in stolen CERP funds hidden in the attic of Nguyen’s Portland family home.
The investigation was initiated by the Portland office of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation following the discovery of large and frequent currency deposits and substantial expenditures above Captain Nguyen’s legitimate income level. The investigation was joined by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Army CID's Major Procurement Fraud Unit and Defense Criminal Investigative Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug prosecuted the case.
Soldier Siblings Serve Together
Regional Command East
May 4, 2010 - Sibling rivalry isn't a problem for a brother and sister from Collegeville, Pa., who are serving a deployment here together. "My brother was my best friend growing up; he was all I had," said Army Pfc. Jessica Kimball, 20, a mechanic assigned to Company B, 82nd Division Special Troops Battalion out of Fort Bragg, N.C. "I didn't have the picture-perfect childhood."
Kimball was 11 when her grandmother died, and she was placed into her brother's family for foster care. She said her brother, Army Pvt. Logan Yost, 21, an infantryman assigned to the same unit, always took her under his wing.
Kimball said she planned to go to college, but couldn't afford it. After hearing about GI Bill education benefits, she decided to see a recruiter.
"The recruiter mentioned the opportunity to go Airborne, [and] being of competitive nature, it intrigued me," she said. "I talked it over with my brother. He did not want me to go alone, so we both joined the Army together."
After basic training and Airborne School, the siblings were assigned to the same airborne unit. Soon, they deployed to Afghanistan, where they have been on several missions together and look out for each other.
"Sometimes we would be outside the wire for several days in a row," Yost said. "At night, we would all take turns staying awake to pull security. When it was Jessica's turn, I would go sit with her to keep her company so she wouldn't be alone." His sister returned the favor when it was his turn for security detail, he added.
"I feel for anyone who has siblings in the military," Yost said. "We are lucky to have gotten stationed together, because most of the time siblings get split up and sent halfway around the world from each other."
The siblings already were close when they joined the military, they said, but their time in Afghanistan has made their bond stronger.
"The deployment has brought us closer together," Kimball said. "It is like a hardcore friendship, and it is comforting to know someone has your back in a foreign country away from anything we've ever known."
Guard Responds to Storm Damage, Water Main Break
By Army Spc. Darron Salzer
National Guard Bureau
May 3, 2010 - Severe storms ripped through several southern states over the weekend, leaving floods and damage throughout the region. National Guard members were called upon in Arkansas and Tennessee to assist local emergency management organizations in search-and-rescue and evacuation efforts, respectively.
In Arkansas, the Guard responded to calls for support teams and equipment to assist with search-and-rescue efforts due to tornado damage to infrastructure such as power and water, National Guard Bureau officials said.
"At roughly 10 p.m. [April 30], we received word that we were to deploy two county support teams of about 50 personnel," said Army Capt. Chris Heathscott, public affairs officer for the Arkansas Guard. "Our troops were on the ground shortly after 1 a.m. in order to support the communities of East End and Scotland."
Soldiers from the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team provided support and equipment to the mission in Scotland, and airmen from the 189th Airlift Wing provided support in East End, Heathscott said.
"As of today, the airmen are still supporting the East End community with security operations and traffic control," he said.
In addition to the personnel support, the Guard had two additional missions in Arkansas over the weekend, sending a 500-gallon water tanker to Scotland and a generator to Jackson County, Arkansas Guard officials said.
Severe storms dumped heavy rains that caused flash flooding in Tennessee, and the Tennessee Guard provided evacuation support in Williamson and Houston counties.
"We had the 1176th Transportation Company go out yesterday and escort people that were recovered from areas that had been walled up by water," said Army Capt. Darrin Haas, deputy director of public affairs for the Tennessee Guard. "They assisted about 240 individuals and brought them out to staging areas and shelters. They drove house-to-house also with high-water vehicles to knock on doors and ask people if they wanted to be escorted out."
The Guard also transported sandbags in Clarksville, Tenn., but most of their efforts had been focused on getting people to safety, Haas said.
"Today, we're beginning missions to do debris removal," he said. "The governor of Tennessee and the adjutant general will be flying around to access the damage. We're doing everything the governor asks, and we're [here] to help the first responders from our state and local governments, who are doing a fantastic job."
Guard members also were called out in Massachusetts for a massive rupture of a critical water main that supplies millions of residents in the Boston area. About 450 Guardsmen helped to distribute bottled water and provided other support functions, Guard officials said.
"The commonwealth can rely on the Guard's diverse capabilities, our strategically located units and our quick response during times of need," said Army Maj. Gen. Joseph C. Carter, Massachusetts adjutant general.
National Guard Bureau
May 3, 2010 - Severe storms ripped through several southern states over the weekend, leaving floods and damage throughout the region. National Guard members were called upon in Arkansas and Tennessee to assist local emergency management organizations in search-and-rescue and evacuation efforts, respectively.
In Arkansas, the Guard responded to calls for support teams and equipment to assist with search-and-rescue efforts due to tornado damage to infrastructure such as power and water, National Guard Bureau officials said.
"At roughly 10 p.m. [April 30], we received word that we were to deploy two county support teams of about 50 personnel," said Army Capt. Chris Heathscott, public affairs officer for the Arkansas Guard. "Our troops were on the ground shortly after 1 a.m. in order to support the communities of East End and Scotland."
Soldiers from the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team provided support and equipment to the mission in Scotland, and airmen from the 189th Airlift Wing provided support in East End, Heathscott said.
"As of today, the airmen are still supporting the East End community with security operations and traffic control," he said.
In addition to the personnel support, the Guard had two additional missions in Arkansas over the weekend, sending a 500-gallon water tanker to Scotland and a generator to Jackson County, Arkansas Guard officials said.
Severe storms dumped heavy rains that caused flash flooding in Tennessee, and the Tennessee Guard provided evacuation support in Williamson and Houston counties.
"We had the 1176th Transportation Company go out yesterday and escort people that were recovered from areas that had been walled up by water," said Army Capt. Darrin Haas, deputy director of public affairs for the Tennessee Guard. "They assisted about 240 individuals and brought them out to staging areas and shelters. They drove house-to-house also with high-water vehicles to knock on doors and ask people if they wanted to be escorted out."
The Guard also transported sandbags in Clarksville, Tenn., but most of their efforts had been focused on getting people to safety, Haas said.
"Today, we're beginning missions to do debris removal," he said. "The governor of Tennessee and the adjutant general will be flying around to access the damage. We're doing everything the governor asks, and we're [here] to help the first responders from our state and local governments, who are doing a fantastic job."
Guard members also were called out in Massachusetts for a massive rupture of a critical water main that supplies millions of residents in the Boston area. About 450 Guardsmen helped to distribute bottled water and provided other support functions, Guard officials said.
"The commonwealth can rely on the Guard's diverse capabilities, our strategically located units and our quick response during times of need," said Army Maj. Gen. Joseph C. Carter, Massachusetts adjutant general.
CNO Meets with Navy Families Displaced by Flooding in Millington
By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (SW/AW) Tiffini Jones Vanderwyst, Chief of Naval Operations Public Affairs
May 3, 2010 - MILINGTON, Tenn. (NNS) -- Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Gary Roughead visited Naval Support Activity Mid-South command to meet with Sailors and families affected by severe flooding and survey the damage to the base on May 3.
CNO was accompanied by Chief of Naval Personnel (CNP) Vice Adm. Mark Ferguson and Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) Vice Adm. Mike Vitale. The Navy leaders got a firsthand look at the condition of the base and discussed the path ahead for the Sailors, Navy civilians and their families as they recover from the flooding that overtook the base Saturday, May 1.
CNO said the Sailors' and Navy civilians' swift reactions to the flooding ensured the safety of those who work and live on the base.
"I can't say enough about how prepared this base was and how responsive everyone who serves here was," said Roughead,. "First and foremost [to] safety, but then volunteering and making sure that everybody was taken care of."
During a town hall meeting with Sailors, families, volunteers and other base personnel, Roughead told those affected that the entire Navy is working to ensure they remain safe and cared for during the difficult time.
"I want to assure everyone here that the entire Navy is going to lean forward to make sure that we take care of your needs, that we meet the needs of your family and that we get the base restored and get your lives back to normal as soon as we possibly can," said Roughead.
Roughead also expressed the importance of a quick recovery due to the business of the Navy that takes place in Millington.
"There is a lot that goes on here that affects everybody [in the Navy]," said Roughead. "I also want to make sure everybody understands we are going to do everything necessary to get Millington and the Navy personnel system back in battery, back in business and back to serving the fleet."
May 3, 2010 - MILINGTON, Tenn. (NNS) -- Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Gary Roughead visited Naval Support Activity Mid-South command to meet with Sailors and families affected by severe flooding and survey the damage to the base on May 3.
CNO was accompanied by Chief of Naval Personnel (CNP) Vice Adm. Mark Ferguson and Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) Vice Adm. Mike Vitale. The Navy leaders got a firsthand look at the condition of the base and discussed the path ahead for the Sailors, Navy civilians and their families as they recover from the flooding that overtook the base Saturday, May 1.
CNO said the Sailors' and Navy civilians' swift reactions to the flooding ensured the safety of those who work and live on the base.
"I can't say enough about how prepared this base was and how responsive everyone who serves here was," said Roughead,. "First and foremost [to] safety, but then volunteering and making sure that everybody was taken care of."
During a town hall meeting with Sailors, families, volunteers and other base personnel, Roughead told those affected that the entire Navy is working to ensure they remain safe and cared for during the difficult time.
"I want to assure everyone here that the entire Navy is going to lean forward to make sure that we take care of your needs, that we meet the needs of your family and that we get the base restored and get your lives back to normal as soon as we possibly can," said Roughead.
Roughead also expressed the importance of a quick recovery due to the business of the Navy that takes place in Millington.
"There is a lot that goes on here that affects everybody [in the Navy]," said Roughead. "I also want to make sure everybody understands we are going to do everything necessary to get Millington and the Navy personnel system back in battery, back in business and back to serving the fleet."
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