Editor's Note: One of the authors is a servicemember.
Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. The website added police officers from New Mexico and North Dakota.
Bart Skelton was raised on the Mexican border and attended college at Southwestern University, Sul Ross State University and New Mexico State University. He joined the New Mexico State Police in 1984 and later became a Special Agent with the U.S. Customs Service and is stationed in New Mexico. Bart Skelton is the author of Down on the Border: A Western Lawman's Journal.
Darrell Graf is the former Chief of Police of the Medina Police Department (North Dakota). Darrell Graf graduated from the North Dakota Law Enforcement Training Center in August of 1976. He holds two patents on firefighting devices he invented.
Steve Schnabel is the former Colonel of the Medina Police Department (North Dakota). Steven Schnabel graduated from the North Dakota Law Enforcement Training Center in April of 1981. He is also a staff sergeant for the North Dakota Army National Guard of which he has been a member for over 19 years.
Darrell Graf and Steve Schabel are the authors of It's All About Power. According to the book description, “It's All About Power is a true and accurate eye witness account of the shoot-out between Gordon Kahl and US Marshals at Medina, North Dakota in 1983.” Of the book, Senator John DeCamp (Lincoln, NE) said, “There are many problems in America today. It's All About Power is a stimulating account of the disaster at Medina, ND in 1983 which was the first in a series of similar shocking events that have rocked our nation. I would highly recommend everyone from politicians to distressed farmers and government agents to militia members read and learn from this fabulous book!”
Dr. Allen Koss, PhD (Sitting Bull College, Ft. Yates, ND) added, “The authors...have dealt with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for the past 16 years. This text should be a significant contribution to the education of other law enforcement officers.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 657 police officers (representing 289 police departments) and their 1398 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Military Books
Military-Writers.com is a website committed to listing military personnel who have authored books. The website added to servicemembers: Steven Rogers and Steve Schnabel.
Lieutenant Steven L. Rogers is a 30-year veteran of the Nutley Police Department (New Jersey) and a 21-year veteran of the United States Navy Reserve, serving his country during the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and the War on Global Terrorism. He is a former member of the FBI National Joint Terrorism Task Force, and presently serves as a police lieutenant on the Nutley Police Department. Lieutenant Steven Rogers is the author of America’s Homeland Warriors; 21st Century Policing: Community Policing : A Guide for Police Officers and Citizens; and, Cops and God; Soldiers and God; Marines and God; and, Sailors and God.
According to the book description of America’s Homeland Warriors, “From Beirut and Baghdad to Los Angles and New York, the war on terrorism knows no boundaries. What is your police department doing to prevent a terrorist attack in your city? Do the police officers in your community know about the terrorist groups roaming your streets? Steven Rogers answers the above questions and explains what kind of terror is being spread by violent terrorist organizations worldwide and how these organizations plan to bring their terror to America. He shares with police officers how they are now part of a new joint war fighting force that will confront a new brand of “criminal warrior” never seen before on the streets of America.”
Steve Schnabel is the former Colonel of the Medina Police Department (North Dakota). Steven Schnabel graduated from the North Dakota Law Enforcement Training Center in April of 1981. He is also a staff sergeant for the North Dakota Army National Guard of which he has been a member for over 19 years.
Steve Schnabel is the co-authors of It's All About Power. According to the book description, “It's All About Power is a true and accurate eye witness account of the shoot-out between Gordon Kahl and US Marshals at Medina, North Dakota in 1983.” Of the book, Senator John DeCamp (Lincoln, NE) said, “There are many problems in America today. It's All About Power is a stimulating account of the disaster at Medina, ND in 1983 which was the first in a series of similar shocking events that have rocked our nation. I would highly recommend everyone from politicians to distressed farmers and government agents to militia members read and learn from this fabulous book!”
Dr. Allen Koss, PhD (Sitting Bull College, Ft. Yates, ND) added, “The authors...have dealt with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for the past 16 years. This text should be a significant contribution to the education of other law enforcement officers.”
Military-Writers.com currently lists 33 current or former military servicemembers and their 71 books.
Lieutenant Steven L. Rogers is a 30-year veteran of the Nutley Police Department (New Jersey) and a 21-year veteran of the United States Navy Reserve, serving his country during the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and the War on Global Terrorism. He is a former member of the FBI National Joint Terrorism Task Force, and presently serves as a police lieutenant on the Nutley Police Department. Lieutenant Steven Rogers is the author of America’s Homeland Warriors; 21st Century Policing: Community Policing : A Guide for Police Officers and Citizens; and, Cops and God; Soldiers and God; Marines and God; and, Sailors and God.
According to the book description of America’s Homeland Warriors, “From Beirut and Baghdad to Los Angles and New York, the war on terrorism knows no boundaries. What is your police department doing to prevent a terrorist attack in your city? Do the police officers in your community know about the terrorist groups roaming your streets? Steven Rogers answers the above questions and explains what kind of terror is being spread by violent terrorist organizations worldwide and how these organizations plan to bring their terror to America. He shares with police officers how they are now part of a new joint war fighting force that will confront a new brand of “criminal warrior” never seen before on the streets of America.”
Steve Schnabel is the former Colonel of the Medina Police Department (North Dakota). Steven Schnabel graduated from the North Dakota Law Enforcement Training Center in April of 1981. He is also a staff sergeant for the North Dakota Army National Guard of which he has been a member for over 19 years.
Steve Schnabel is the co-authors of It's All About Power. According to the book description, “It's All About Power is a true and accurate eye witness account of the shoot-out between Gordon Kahl and US Marshals at Medina, North Dakota in 1983.” Of the book, Senator John DeCamp (Lincoln, NE) said, “There are many problems in America today. It's All About Power is a stimulating account of the disaster at Medina, ND in 1983 which was the first in a series of similar shocking events that have rocked our nation. I would highly recommend everyone from politicians to distressed farmers and government agents to militia members read and learn from this fabulous book!”
Dr. Allen Koss, PhD (Sitting Bull College, Ft. Yates, ND) added, “The authors...have dealt with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for the past 16 years. This text should be a significant contribution to the education of other law enforcement officers.”
Military-Writers.com currently lists 33 current or former military servicemembers and their 71 books.
Former Marine Angles to Honor Troops
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
July 19, 2007 – For servicemembers, "Operation Open Arms" is all about fun in the southwestern Florida sun. It's about much more than that for Capt. John Bunch, however. Through its network of more than 125 sponsors, Operation Open Arms provides opportunities for free or discounted vacation activities.
"It's not about anything but tangible acts of kindness for our troops for two weeks," said Bunch, a fishing guide and the organization's founder. "It's pretty much two weeks of just about anything you want to do, including kayaking (and) sailing trips that are free."
The only requirement is that participants be active-duty servicemembers on leave from a foreign duty station. Marines, who are not granted leave during deployments, are the only exception to this rule. They must provide proof they have recently been assigned to a foreign duty station.
"The only responsibility that U.S. servicemen have is to be reverent and respectful of the sponsors and to be courteous," Bunch said.
Bunch, a former Marine first lieutenant -- the "captain" title refers to his current occupation as a well-known fishing guide - said he started the program without really realizing what he was doing.
In April 2005, the Vietnam veteran was eating lunch in a restaurant in St. James City, Fla., a small fishing village on Pine Island, about 30 miles from Fort Myers. A young soldier and fishing enthusiast, Army Spc. Travis Downes, recognized Bunch from the TV fishing show he co-hosts.
The soldier asked where he could go fishing along the shore because he couldn't afford a charter trip.
When Bunch discovered Downes had orders to Iraq, he made a command decision. "I said, 'Don't worry about the money. I'll take you fishing, and there'll be no charge,'" Bunch said. "He just absolutely couldn't believe it."
Downes and his father offered to contribute something at the end of the trip, but the captain of GiddyUp Fishing Charter wouldn't hear of it.
"I said, 'Absolutely not. Travis is paying a big enough price by going back to Iraq for the third time. (This is) the least I can do for him,'" Bunch said. "It actually made me feel better to receive nothing, ... given the circumstances."
That feeling got him thinking. Before the day was over, he had four other fishing captains lined up to provide fishing excursions for servicemembers from Pine Island who came home on two weeks of rest and recuperation leave. The next calls he made were to five contacts from his days as a golf pro and five restaurant owners on the island; all agreed to provide free golf games and meals, respectively.
Then a story about the program appeared in the local newspaper, catching the eye of a "Today" show correspondent's mother. Before long, the NBC program had set up shop on Pine Island to tell the tale of Operation Open Arms.
The segment, which aired Memorial Day 2005, generated a new wave of sponsors ready to offer services to troops.
"It went from a very small thing -- a very well-intended thing that would serve a very small number of people -- to now a runaway successful train."
The "Today" show exposure also generated something else: a desire for the program to go national.
"After the 'Today' show, I received 2,188 e-mails and letters about Operation Open Arms from all over the country," Bunch said. "All of the letters were pretty much the same thing, 'Can you come (here) and do this?'
"Given how easy it was to do this, there's absolutely no reason there shouldn't be an Operation Open Arms in every single county of every single state in the United States, in my opinion," he said, adding that he's offering "lessons learned" to those interested in starting their own programs.
Though the seed for Operation Open Arms may have sprouted when Bunch met Downes in 2005, he said it had been planted when he was a young Marine officer.
"I was a young second lieutenant in the Marines going through the D.C. airport, and some war protestors spit on my brand new Marine Corps officer uniform," he said. "I swore that day if I could ever treat U.S. service people better than what I was treated ... I would do it.
"It was almost like this whole thing was meant to happen from that incident," he said.
Bunch has made good on that promise to himself. What originated as a program for servicemembers from the 17-mile-by-2-mile Pine Island, has never turned down any servicemember wanting to enjoy what the sponsors are offering. He said they had servicemembers in from Texas and Arizona this past Christmas.
Eligible servicemembers wishing to participate in Operation Open Arms should visit the program's Web site, www.operationopenarms.com, and follow the instructions. Because Bunch accepts no funds and runs the program with just two volunteers, participants must contact and make arrangement directly with the sponsors, he said. Servicemembers will be required to provide a military identification card, as well as leave documents.
American Forces Press Service
July 19, 2007 – For servicemembers, "Operation Open Arms" is all about fun in the southwestern Florida sun. It's about much more than that for Capt. John Bunch, however. Through its network of more than 125 sponsors, Operation Open Arms provides opportunities for free or discounted vacation activities.
"It's not about anything but tangible acts of kindness for our troops for two weeks," said Bunch, a fishing guide and the organization's founder. "It's pretty much two weeks of just about anything you want to do, including kayaking (and) sailing trips that are free."
The only requirement is that participants be active-duty servicemembers on leave from a foreign duty station. Marines, who are not granted leave during deployments, are the only exception to this rule. They must provide proof they have recently been assigned to a foreign duty station.
"The only responsibility that U.S. servicemen have is to be reverent and respectful of the sponsors and to be courteous," Bunch said.
Bunch, a former Marine first lieutenant -- the "captain" title refers to his current occupation as a well-known fishing guide - said he started the program without really realizing what he was doing.
In April 2005, the Vietnam veteran was eating lunch in a restaurant in St. James City, Fla., a small fishing village on Pine Island, about 30 miles from Fort Myers. A young soldier and fishing enthusiast, Army Spc. Travis Downes, recognized Bunch from the TV fishing show he co-hosts.
The soldier asked where he could go fishing along the shore because he couldn't afford a charter trip.
When Bunch discovered Downes had orders to Iraq, he made a command decision. "I said, 'Don't worry about the money. I'll take you fishing, and there'll be no charge,'" Bunch said. "He just absolutely couldn't believe it."
Downes and his father offered to contribute something at the end of the trip, but the captain of GiddyUp Fishing Charter wouldn't hear of it.
"I said, 'Absolutely not. Travis is paying a big enough price by going back to Iraq for the third time. (This is) the least I can do for him,'" Bunch said. "It actually made me feel better to receive nothing, ... given the circumstances."
That feeling got him thinking. Before the day was over, he had four other fishing captains lined up to provide fishing excursions for servicemembers from Pine Island who came home on two weeks of rest and recuperation leave. The next calls he made were to five contacts from his days as a golf pro and five restaurant owners on the island; all agreed to provide free golf games and meals, respectively.
Then a story about the program appeared in the local newspaper, catching the eye of a "Today" show correspondent's mother. Before long, the NBC program had set up shop on Pine Island to tell the tale of Operation Open Arms.
The segment, which aired Memorial Day 2005, generated a new wave of sponsors ready to offer services to troops.
"It went from a very small thing -- a very well-intended thing that would serve a very small number of people -- to now a runaway successful train."
The "Today" show exposure also generated something else: a desire for the program to go national.
"After the 'Today' show, I received 2,188 e-mails and letters about Operation Open Arms from all over the country," Bunch said. "All of the letters were pretty much the same thing, 'Can you come (here) and do this?'
"Given how easy it was to do this, there's absolutely no reason there shouldn't be an Operation Open Arms in every single county of every single state in the United States, in my opinion," he said, adding that he's offering "lessons learned" to those interested in starting their own programs.
Though the seed for Operation Open Arms may have sprouted when Bunch met Downes in 2005, he said it had been planted when he was a young Marine officer.
"I was a young second lieutenant in the Marines going through the D.C. airport, and some war protestors spit on my brand new Marine Corps officer uniform," he said. "I swore that day if I could ever treat U.S. service people better than what I was treated ... I would do it.
"It was almost like this whole thing was meant to happen from that incident," he said.
Bunch has made good on that promise to himself. What originated as a program for servicemembers from the 17-mile-by-2-mile Pine Island, has never turned down any servicemember wanting to enjoy what the sponsors are offering. He said they had servicemembers in from Texas and Arizona this past Christmas.
Eligible servicemembers wishing to participate in Operation Open Arms should visit the program's Web site, www.operationopenarms.com, and follow the instructions. Because Bunch accepts no funds and runs the program with just two volunteers, participants must contact and make arrangement directly with the sponsors, he said. Servicemembers will be required to provide a military identification card, as well as leave documents.
Pace Speaks to 'Sky Soldiers' About Being a Soldier
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
July 19, 2007 – During a town hall meeting here with the "Sky Soldiers" of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, a young noncommissioned officer asked the military's highest-ranking officer what being a "soldier" means to him. Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has served in uniform more than 40 years since his graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1967. Although not technically a "soldier," he considers himself "a soldier of the sea," a term dating back to the 17th century for foot soldiers who serve with the sea service.
"For me, being ... a soldier of the sea has been an incredible way to spend a sizeable chunk of my adult life," Pace told the soldier. "I'm proud of what I've done with those years not because of what I've become, but because of the opportunity to serve with so many great soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen."
Pace noted that he re-enlisted 41 soldiers during a ceremony in Iraq on July 17. And the fact that they re-enlisted in a combat zone says something about being a soldier. He said the quality of the force has gotten higher. And when good people -- respected people - re-enlist, it makes every member of the military feel better about their chosen profession.
Following his first tour in a combat zone, Pace also chose to remain on active duty. His first assignment was to the Republic of Vietnam, where he joined 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, just in time for the Tet Offensive in February 1968.
He told the soldiers that he remembers the names of every Marine who was killed following 2nd Lt. Peter Pace's orders. The chairman said those Marines gave their lives so Americans can live the way they please. "I have always felt a sense of responsibility to repay what they gave their country," he told the airborne soldiers.
After coming back from Vietnam, Pace said, he made the decision to stay on active duty until he was no longer needed. He said he would know it was time to leave when he stopped getting promoted.
With four stars glinting on his desert camouflage uniform's collars, he said, "That worked out OK. But now I'm getting close to the time the nation no longer needs me, and I'm OK with that."
"I know, come 1 October, ... that for a little over 40 years I tried to do my best to take care of the guys and gals I've been responsible for," he said. "I also know that come 2 October, I will still owe the organization more than I can ever repay."
The chairman said he will take great comfort in knowing that leaders on every level -- from private first class to general -- "go about the business of taking care of the nation's business and taking care of each other," Pace said.
"As long as we've got that, we're going to do just fine," he concluded
American Forces Press Service
July 19, 2007 – During a town hall meeting here with the "Sky Soldiers" of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, a young noncommissioned officer asked the military's highest-ranking officer what being a "soldier" means to him. Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has served in uniform more than 40 years since his graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1967. Although not technically a "soldier," he considers himself "a soldier of the sea," a term dating back to the 17th century for foot soldiers who serve with the sea service.
"For me, being ... a soldier of the sea has been an incredible way to spend a sizeable chunk of my adult life," Pace told the soldier. "I'm proud of what I've done with those years not because of what I've become, but because of the opportunity to serve with so many great soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen."
Pace noted that he re-enlisted 41 soldiers during a ceremony in Iraq on July 17. And the fact that they re-enlisted in a combat zone says something about being a soldier. He said the quality of the force has gotten higher. And when good people -- respected people - re-enlist, it makes every member of the military feel better about their chosen profession.
Following his first tour in a combat zone, Pace also chose to remain on active duty. His first assignment was to the Republic of Vietnam, where he joined 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, just in time for the Tet Offensive in February 1968.
He told the soldiers that he remembers the names of every Marine who was killed following 2nd Lt. Peter Pace's orders. The chairman said those Marines gave their lives so Americans can live the way they please. "I have always felt a sense of responsibility to repay what they gave their country," he told the airborne soldiers.
After coming back from Vietnam, Pace said, he made the decision to stay on active duty until he was no longer needed. He said he would know it was time to leave when he stopped getting promoted.
With four stars glinting on his desert camouflage uniform's collars, he said, "That worked out OK. But now I'm getting close to the time the nation no longer needs me, and I'm OK with that."
"I know, come 1 October, ... that for a little over 40 years I tried to do my best to take care of the guys and gals I've been responsible for," he said. "I also know that come 2 October, I will still owe the organization more than I can ever repay."
The chairman said he will take great comfort in knowing that leaders on every level -- from private first class to general -- "go about the business of taking care of the nation's business and taking care of each other," Pace said.
"As long as we've got that, we're going to do just fine," he concluded
Soldiers Missing in Action from the Korean War are Identified
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of three U.S. servicemen, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
They are Sgt. Donald C. Trent, of Crab Orchard, W. Va.; Cpl. Robert K. Imrie, of Randolph, Mass.; and Cpl. Samuel Wirrick of Lancaster, Pa.; all U.S. Army. Imrie will be buried Monday at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.; and Trent and Wirrick will be buried at Arlington in October. Representatives from the Army met with the next-of-kin of these men in their hometowns to explain the recovery and identification process and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.
In late November 1950, these soldiers were members of the 2nd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, then operating south of the Chongchon River in North Korea. Their regiment's positions came under heavy attack by Chinese forces and the 2nd Battalion was forced to withdraw to positions near the town of Kujang. On Nov. 27, Imrie was killed in action, and Trent and Wirrick were reported missing.
In 2000, a joint U.S.-Democratic People's Republic of Korea-Korean People's Army team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), excavated a mass burial believed to contain the remains of U.S. soldiers who died near Kujang. The team found human remains, Wirrick's identification tag and other material evidence associated with U.S. Army infantry equipment.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in the identification of the remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1420.
They are Sgt. Donald C. Trent, of Crab Orchard, W. Va.; Cpl. Robert K. Imrie, of Randolph, Mass.; and Cpl. Samuel Wirrick of Lancaster, Pa.; all U.S. Army. Imrie will be buried Monday at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.; and Trent and Wirrick will be buried at Arlington in October. Representatives from the Army met with the next-of-kin of these men in their hometowns to explain the recovery and identification process and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.
In late November 1950, these soldiers were members of the 2nd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, then operating south of the Chongchon River in North Korea. Their regiment's positions came under heavy attack by Chinese forces and the 2nd Battalion was forced to withdraw to positions near the town of Kujang. On Nov. 27, Imrie was killed in action, and Trent and Wirrick were reported missing.
In 2000, a joint U.S.-Democratic People's Republic of Korea-Korean People's Army team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), excavated a mass burial believed to contain the remains of U.S. soldiers who died near Kujang. The team found human remains, Wirrick's identification tag and other material evidence associated with U.S. Army infantry equipment.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in the identification of the remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1420.
Defense Leaders Tackle Family Issues
By Tech. Sgt. Chris Vadnais, USAF
Special to American Forces Press Service
July 19, 2007 – The Defense Department has identified 10 key issues of importance to military members and their families, including education policies and benefits, accessible support for military families, and spouse employment opportunities. Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, met here with David S.C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, this week to discuss such key issues.
"Family issues are crucial to the willingness of our people to continue to serve," Chu said.
Among the most important of the 10 key issues is the interstate compact for educating children of military members. The mobile military lifestyle creates challenges for children, and the Defense Department wants to provide a policy platform to head those off, Chu said. For example, some school districts will allow children to start kindergarten at age 5, while others require children to be 6 years old to start school. Children who start school in one location might not be able to go back to school at a new location when military families move.
"If the young lad or the young lady has already started school, why can't he or she keep going?" Chu asked. "Many school systems say, 'No, we've got to wait,' and that's a big issue with a military family," he said. "We'd like to get issues like these ironed out at a national level so military families can do the same thing every other American family can do."
Other key issues include policies for members of the reserve components, unemployment compensation for military spouses, and responsive voting programs. "Those issues affect the well-being of our families," Chu said. "We put a lot of burdens on military personnel; the family has to be well supported if they're going to accept those burdens."
Keating said healthy partnerships like the one between the Defense Department and the state of Hawaii are key to providing the best possible quality of life for military families. "It is that communion between the community and the military members that will produce long-lasting effects," he said.
"It is a powerful tool for us here," he added. "The governor and the mayor have both promised me that they would pay close attention to any initiatives that I brought to their attention, and they have followed through on that."
Special to American Forces Press Service
July 19, 2007 – The Defense Department has identified 10 key issues of importance to military members and their families, including education policies and benefits, accessible support for military families, and spouse employment opportunities. Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, met here with David S.C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, this week to discuss such key issues.
"Family issues are crucial to the willingness of our people to continue to serve," Chu said.
Among the most important of the 10 key issues is the interstate compact for educating children of military members. The mobile military lifestyle creates challenges for children, and the Defense Department wants to provide a policy platform to head those off, Chu said. For example, some school districts will allow children to start kindergarten at age 5, while others require children to be 6 years old to start school. Children who start school in one location might not be able to go back to school at a new location when military families move.
"If the young lad or the young lady has already started school, why can't he or she keep going?" Chu asked. "Many school systems say, 'No, we've got to wait,' and that's a big issue with a military family," he said. "We'd like to get issues like these ironed out at a national level so military families can do the same thing every other American family can do."
Other key issues include policies for members of the reserve components, unemployment compensation for military spouses, and responsive voting programs. "Those issues affect the well-being of our families," Chu said. "We put a lot of burdens on military personnel; the family has to be well supported if they're going to accept those burdens."
Keating said healthy partnerships like the one between the Defense Department and the state of Hawaii are key to providing the best possible quality of life for military families. "It is that communion between the community and the military members that will produce long-lasting effects," he said.
"It is a powerful tool for us here," he added. "The governor and the mayor have both promised me that they would pay close attention to any initiatives that I brought to their attention, and they have followed through on that."
Shared Vision for a Joint Services Based Environment to Enable Information Sharing
DoD and DNI Chief Information Officers Establish Shared Vision for a Joint Services Based Environment to Enable Information Sharing
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration and DoD Chief Information Officer John G. Grimes and retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Dale Meyerrose, Associate Director of National Intelligence and Chief Information Officer for the Director of National Intelligence, recently signed a memorandum of agreement for a joint vision which enables improved interoperability and seamless information sharing between the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community (IC).
The joint agreement seeks to create a services-based information environment and to reinforce DoD and DNI collaboration towards implementing business and information services and service-oriented architecture. This environment, which leverages commercial practices, offers functionality as 'services' rather than stand-alone applications and is based on building capabilities using standard Web technologies.
"We work closely with Dale Meyerrose, my counterpart in the DNI, to ensure that DoD and the national intelligence community are pursuing complementary strategies to achieve information sharing," said Grimes. "The strategies communicate our vision of how to best achieve effective, efficient, and agile information sharing between DoD and the IC."
Developed through the combined efforts of the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the shared vision is to establish an information services-based environment that is:
Supported by a mandatory and common foundation based upon DoD CIO/DNI CIO jointly-developed standards, rules, and interoperable secure infrastructure services. This foundation will be governed by a joint board co-chaired by the DoD CIO and the DNI CIO; Populated with secure mission and business services. These will be provided and used by functions and organizations from across the DoD and IC and based on applicable enterprise architectures;
Managed to ensure operational visibility and situational awareness of the information environment for users throughout the DoD and IC.
To achieve this shared vision, the DoD-DNI agreement outlines the shared goals adopted by the DoD and the IC to ensure the envisioned services-based environment is achieved. These goals include: (1) provide services-rather than developing stand alone applications; (2) use services-rather than creating duplicative capabilities; (3) govern the environment; and (4) manage the environment. These goals are further explained in the context of the DoD and the IC in their respective services strategies. Each strategy articulates the same vision and goals to ensure unity of purpose but each is grounded in the terminology and the required level of detail for the respective organization. The service oriented vision and strategies will be shared with other government agencies to enhance the information sharing environment.
The jointly signed memorandum and DoD Net-Centric Services Strategy can be found online at http://www.defenselink.mil/cio-nii/entservices/.
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration and DoD Chief Information Officer John G. Grimes and retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Dale Meyerrose, Associate Director of National Intelligence and Chief Information Officer for the Director of National Intelligence, recently signed a memorandum of agreement for a joint vision which enables improved interoperability and seamless information sharing between the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community (IC).
The joint agreement seeks to create a services-based information environment and to reinforce DoD and DNI collaboration towards implementing business and information services and service-oriented architecture. This environment, which leverages commercial practices, offers functionality as 'services' rather than stand-alone applications and is based on building capabilities using standard Web technologies.
"We work closely with Dale Meyerrose, my counterpart in the DNI, to ensure that DoD and the national intelligence community are pursuing complementary strategies to achieve information sharing," said Grimes. "The strategies communicate our vision of how to best achieve effective, efficient, and agile information sharing between DoD and the IC."
Developed through the combined efforts of the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the shared vision is to establish an information services-based environment that is:
Supported by a mandatory and common foundation based upon DoD CIO/DNI CIO jointly-developed standards, rules, and interoperable secure infrastructure services. This foundation will be governed by a joint board co-chaired by the DoD CIO and the DNI CIO; Populated with secure mission and business services. These will be provided and used by functions and organizations from across the DoD and IC and based on applicable enterprise architectures;
Managed to ensure operational visibility and situational awareness of the information environment for users throughout the DoD and IC.
To achieve this shared vision, the DoD-DNI agreement outlines the shared goals adopted by the DoD and the IC to ensure the envisioned services-based environment is achieved. These goals include: (1) provide services-rather than developing stand alone applications; (2) use services-rather than creating duplicative capabilities; (3) govern the environment; and (4) manage the environment. These goals are further explained in the context of the DoD and the IC in their respective services strategies. Each strategy articulates the same vision and goals to ensure unity of purpose but each is grounded in the terminology and the required level of detail for the respective organization. The service oriented vision and strategies will be shared with other government agencies to enhance the information sharing environment.
The jointly signed memorandum and DoD Net-Centric Services Strategy can be found online at http://www.defenselink.mil/cio-nii/entservices/.
Marine Missing From Vietnam War Is Identified
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is Cpl. Jim E. Moshier, U.S. Marine Corps, of Bakersfield, Calif. He will be buried Wednesday in Bakersfield.
On June 11, 1967, Moshier was one of 11 passengers on board a CH-46A Sea Knight helicopter that was inserting forces into Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam, when the aircraft was struck by enemy ground fire and crashed. Pilots from two nearby helicopters saw the crash and reported that none of the men on board could have survived. Aircraft flew over the site for several hours, but saw no survivors. A ground patrol attempted to access the site the next day, but could not because of the large concentration of enemy forces in the area. Two weeks later, a reconnaissance patrol was within 25 meters of the crash site, but extensive enemy activity prevented the team from approaching closer.
Between 1993 and 1994, U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) teams, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), conducted two surveys of the site, and interviewed several Vietnamese citizens who said they witnessed the crash. Two of the citizens claimed to have seen bone fragments while scavenging the site years earlier. The teams found small pieces of wreckage, but no human remains.
In May 2005, Vietnamese officials notified U.S. officials that possible human remains were present at a district security compound in Quang Tri Province. The Vietnamese reported they confiscated the remains and other items, including Moshier's identification tag, from a Vietnamese citizen in 1996. The remains were then buried in the security compound, but the ID tag and other items had supposedly been lost over the years. Later that month, a U.S./S.R.V. team excavated the secondary burial site in the security compound and recovered a box containing human remains.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA in the identification of Moshier's remains. Remains from one of the other servicemembers on board the aircraft, Pfc. James E. Widener, U.S. Marine Corps, were identified in August 2006.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
On June 11, 1967, Moshier was one of 11 passengers on board a CH-46A Sea Knight helicopter that was inserting forces into Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam, when the aircraft was struck by enemy ground fire and crashed. Pilots from two nearby helicopters saw the crash and reported that none of the men on board could have survived. Aircraft flew over the site for several hours, but saw no survivors. A ground patrol attempted to access the site the next day, but could not because of the large concentration of enemy forces in the area. Two weeks later, a reconnaissance patrol was within 25 meters of the crash site, but extensive enemy activity prevented the team from approaching closer.
Between 1993 and 1994, U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) teams, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), conducted two surveys of the site, and interviewed several Vietnamese citizens who said they witnessed the crash. Two of the citizens claimed to have seen bone fragments while scavenging the site years earlier. The teams found small pieces of wreckage, but no human remains.
In May 2005, Vietnamese officials notified U.S. officials that possible human remains were present at a district security compound in Quang Tri Province. The Vietnamese reported they confiscated the remains and other items, including Moshier's identification tag, from a Vietnamese citizen in 1996. The remains were then buried in the security compound, but the ID tag and other items had supposedly been lost over the years. Later that month, a U.S./S.R.V. team excavated the secondary burial site in the security compound and recovered a box containing human remains.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA in the identification of Moshier's remains. Remains from one of the other servicemembers on board the aircraft, Pfc. James E. Widener, U.S. Marine Corps, were identified in August 2006.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
New Jersey Cop Authors
Editor's Note: Steven L. Rogers is a 21 year veteran of the US Navy (R).
Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. The website added two police officers from New Jersey who have authored books: Steven L. Rogers and Michael Petrillo.
Lieutenant Steven L. Rogers is a 30-year veteran of the Nutley Police Department (New Jersey) and a 21-year veteran of the United States Navy Reserve, serving his country during the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and the War on Global Terrorism. He is a former member of the FBI National Joint Terrorism Task Force, and presently serves as a police lieutenant on the Nutley Police Department. Lieutenant Stephen Rogers is the author of America’s Homeland Warriors; 21st Century Policing: Community Policing : A Guide for Police Officers and Citizens; and, Cops and God; Soldiers and God; Marines and God; and, Sailors and God.
According to the book description of America’s Homeland Warriors, “From Beirut and Baghdad to Los Angles and New York, the war on terrorism knows no boundaries. What is your police department doing to prevent a terrorist attack in your city? Do the police officers in your community know about the terrorist groups roaming your streets? Steven Rogers answers the above questions and explains what kind of terror is being spread by violent terrorist organizations worldwide and how these organizations plan to bring their terror to America. He shares with police officers how they are now part of a new joint war fighting force that will confront a new brand of “criminal warrior” never seen before on the streets of America.”
Michael A. Petrillo is a retired chief of police from the Belleville Police Department (New Jersey). He has co-authored several books with Daniel R. DelBagno, a retired Captain from an unknown law enforcement agency in New Jersey. Among the books they co-authored are The New Age Of Police Supervision And Management: A Behavioral Concept and The New Jersey Title 2C Quizzer: A Question and Answer Study Guide of the New Jersey Code of Criminal Justice. They are also co-editors of the LearningExpress Police Sergeant Exam.
According to the book description of The New Age Of Police Supervision And Management: A Behavioral Concept “Packed with the authors’ 60 years of time-tested leadership expertise, this managerial gold mine is filled with the knowledge you need to accelerate your career and earn the supervisory positions you aspire to! Easy-to-understand and logically segmented for long-term retention, this guide leaves no stone unturned on the road to higher rank…from detailing the key traits of successful supervisors and understanding the complex world of human behavior to practical advice for gaining respect from the troops and handling difficult, real-world challenges within the ranks, from drugs to racial tension.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 654 police officers (representing 285 police departments) and their 1396 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. The website added two police officers from New Jersey who have authored books: Steven L. Rogers and Michael Petrillo.
Lieutenant Steven L. Rogers is a 30-year veteran of the Nutley Police Department (New Jersey) and a 21-year veteran of the United States Navy Reserve, serving his country during the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and the War on Global Terrorism. He is a former member of the FBI National Joint Terrorism Task Force, and presently serves as a police lieutenant on the Nutley Police Department. Lieutenant Stephen Rogers is the author of America’s Homeland Warriors; 21st Century Policing: Community Policing : A Guide for Police Officers and Citizens; and, Cops and God; Soldiers and God; Marines and God; and, Sailors and God.
According to the book description of America’s Homeland Warriors, “From Beirut and Baghdad to Los Angles and New York, the war on terrorism knows no boundaries. What is your police department doing to prevent a terrorist attack in your city? Do the police officers in your community know about the terrorist groups roaming your streets? Steven Rogers answers the above questions and explains what kind of terror is being spread by violent terrorist organizations worldwide and how these organizations plan to bring their terror to America. He shares with police officers how they are now part of a new joint war fighting force that will confront a new brand of “criminal warrior” never seen before on the streets of America.”
Michael A. Petrillo is a retired chief of police from the Belleville Police Department (New Jersey). He has co-authored several books with Daniel R. DelBagno, a retired Captain from an unknown law enforcement agency in New Jersey. Among the books they co-authored are The New Age Of Police Supervision And Management: A Behavioral Concept and The New Jersey Title 2C Quizzer: A Question and Answer Study Guide of the New Jersey Code of Criminal Justice. They are also co-editors of the LearningExpress Police Sergeant Exam.
According to the book description of The New Age Of Police Supervision And Management: A Behavioral Concept “Packed with the authors’ 60 years of time-tested leadership expertise, this managerial gold mine is filled with the knowledge you need to accelerate your career and earn the supervisory positions you aspire to! Easy-to-understand and logically segmented for long-term retention, this guide leaves no stone unturned on the road to higher rank…from detailing the key traits of successful supervisors and understanding the complex world of human behavior to practical advice for gaining respect from the troops and handling difficult, real-world challenges within the ranks, from drugs to racial tension.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 654 police officers (representing 285 police departments) and their 1396 books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
New Prosthesis Could Help Keep Troops in the Fight
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
July 18, 2007 – A new prosthesis under development will give servicemember amputees more flexibility and help them better perform their military jobs if they choose to stay on active duty. A preview of the new technology yesterday at Walter Reed Army Medical Center drew key staff and several servicemember amputees. The open forum allowed users to see improvements in prototype form and ask developers questions or offer suggestions.
In 2006, Otto Bock HealthCare, a global provider of prosthetic components that started out providing devices for German World War I veterans in 1919, began developing a prosthetic knee system that is an upgrade to its already popular C-Leg. It was awarded a three-year $1 million contract to develop a leg that will allow more servicemembers to stay on active duty if they choose to.
The prosthesis is for above-the-knee amputees and uses a microprocessor to control the knee's hydraulic functions and anticipate the wearer's actions and make changes in real time.
This will give servicemembers greater flexibility to change speeds or directions without sacrificing stability.
The project began in 2006, and developers are through the prototype development. Barring any technical problems, the new prosthesis should be available to servicemembers in 2009.
Mobility will be improved, allowing more movement without the user having to concentrate on the knee, said Hans-Willem van Vliet, the program manager.
The new system will have more sensors, a faster hard drive, more memory, and will provide smooth transitions between movements such as level-ground walking, climbing stairs, and running.
It also will allow servicemembers the ability to turn around while walking and walk backward in one fluid movement, something that is not possible with the current C-Leg. It will adapt automatically between walking speeds and gaits, Vliet said.
He emphasized that engineers have not simply improved the C-Leg, but have completely rebuilt the technology on the inside.
Engineers also are working to stretch battery life to 50 hours on one charge. This will give servicemembers on long road marches the duration they need to reach a power supply for recharging.
Requirements also call for making the system salt-water resistant, a difficulty with the onboard computer systems. They also are planning a remote control, about the size of a car-lock remote, that will allow the user to switch among as many as 10 modes with the click of a button.
The current C-Leg allows servicemembers two operating modes: one for walking and one for bicycling or another activity. To switch between modes, the wearer has to swing the leg forward in a jerky fashion. In some instances the user may not be able to switch modes because of limited movement. Reprogramming a mode requires a visit to a technician.
Air Force Lt. Col. Andrew Lourake, a pilot at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., is the first above-the-knee amputee to return to active duty as a pilot. He was fitted with a C-Leg five years ago. Lourake said he could not do his job without the C-Leg because it allows him to switch between walking and flying modes. Still, he said, he is impressed with the new design and plans to be one of the first to own one, even if he has to pay for it out of his own pocket. The current C-Leg costs about $30,000. The new system is expected to cost about the same.
"I'm excited. It has a lot of the stuff that I asked for a couple of years ago. It's huge in functionality and active living," Lourake said.
Right now, he has to reprogram his second mode from flying mode to bicycling or running. With the new leg, he won't have to make as many visits to his prosthetic technician.
"I'll have everything right in the leg, and I'll never have to touch the computer again," he said.
American Forces Press Service
July 18, 2007 – A new prosthesis under development will give servicemember amputees more flexibility and help them better perform their military jobs if they choose to stay on active duty. A preview of the new technology yesterday at Walter Reed Army Medical Center drew key staff and several servicemember amputees. The open forum allowed users to see improvements in prototype form and ask developers questions or offer suggestions.
In 2006, Otto Bock HealthCare, a global provider of prosthetic components that started out providing devices for German World War I veterans in 1919, began developing a prosthetic knee system that is an upgrade to its already popular C-Leg. It was awarded a three-year $1 million contract to develop a leg that will allow more servicemembers to stay on active duty if they choose to.
The prosthesis is for above-the-knee amputees and uses a microprocessor to control the knee's hydraulic functions and anticipate the wearer's actions and make changes in real time.
This will give servicemembers greater flexibility to change speeds or directions without sacrificing stability.
The project began in 2006, and developers are through the prototype development. Barring any technical problems, the new prosthesis should be available to servicemembers in 2009.
Mobility will be improved, allowing more movement without the user having to concentrate on the knee, said Hans-Willem van Vliet, the program manager.
The new system will have more sensors, a faster hard drive, more memory, and will provide smooth transitions between movements such as level-ground walking, climbing stairs, and running.
It also will allow servicemembers the ability to turn around while walking and walk backward in one fluid movement, something that is not possible with the current C-Leg. It will adapt automatically between walking speeds and gaits, Vliet said.
He emphasized that engineers have not simply improved the C-Leg, but have completely rebuilt the technology on the inside.
Engineers also are working to stretch battery life to 50 hours on one charge. This will give servicemembers on long road marches the duration they need to reach a power supply for recharging.
Requirements also call for making the system salt-water resistant, a difficulty with the onboard computer systems. They also are planning a remote control, about the size of a car-lock remote, that will allow the user to switch among as many as 10 modes with the click of a button.
The current C-Leg allows servicemembers two operating modes: one for walking and one for bicycling or another activity. To switch between modes, the wearer has to swing the leg forward in a jerky fashion. In some instances the user may not be able to switch modes because of limited movement. Reprogramming a mode requires a visit to a technician.
Air Force Lt. Col. Andrew Lourake, a pilot at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., is the first above-the-knee amputee to return to active duty as a pilot. He was fitted with a C-Leg five years ago. Lourake said he could not do his job without the C-Leg because it allows him to switch between walking and flying modes. Still, he said, he is impressed with the new design and plans to be one of the first to own one, even if he has to pay for it out of his own pocket. The current C-Leg costs about $30,000. The new system is expected to cost about the same.
"I'm excited. It has a lot of the stuff that I asked for a couple of years ago. It's huge in functionality and active living," Lourake said.
Right now, he has to reprogram his second mode from flying mode to bicycling or running. With the new leg, he won't have to make as many visits to his prosthetic technician.
"I'll have everything right in the leg, and I'll never have to touch the computer again," he said.
Program Helps Disabled Vets Get Defense Business Contracts
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
July 18, 2007 – Thousands of disabled military veterans have enrolled in a governmentwide program that's designed to help them succeed in new careers as business owners, a Defense Department official said here today. The Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Office was established at the Pentagon by an October 2004 presidential executive order and federal legislation that stipulates 3 percent of all annual military contracting will go to small businesses operated by service-disabled veterans, Anthony R. Martoccia, director of the office of small business programs at the Pentagon, told veterans' service organization members during a conference call today.
Military contracting officers in the field are on the lookout for disabled-veteran-owned businesses to provide services for the government, Martoccia said.
There is "a strong focus" by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and other senior officials to ensure the program is fully implemented, Martoccia noted.
More than 24,000 servicemembers have been wounded or injured on duty since the global war against terrorism began on Sept. 11, 2001, Martoccia said. Many of these veterans have had to leave the military due to disabling injury, he noted.
The SDVOSB program is geared toward helping disabled veterans establish second careers as entrepreneurs who do business with the Defense Department, Martoccia said. The program, he added, is open to disabled veterans from all the nation's wars and all branches of military service.
"There's a lot of work out there, obviously, and there's a lot of opportunity," Martoccia said. Last year, the SDVOSB program registered more than 5,000 businesses. Today, disabled-veteran-owned businesses account for more than $1 billion in government contracts.
The Pentagon is putting the word out to military contracting officers about the government-wide goal to award 3 percent of contracts to businesses owned by disabled veterans, Martoccia said.
"A lot of these companies can really get some business with the federal marketplace," he said.
American Forces Press Service
July 18, 2007 – Thousands of disabled military veterans have enrolled in a governmentwide program that's designed to help them succeed in new careers as business owners, a Defense Department official said here today. The Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Office was established at the Pentagon by an October 2004 presidential executive order and federal legislation that stipulates 3 percent of all annual military contracting will go to small businesses operated by service-disabled veterans, Anthony R. Martoccia, director of the office of small business programs at the Pentagon, told veterans' service organization members during a conference call today.
Military contracting officers in the field are on the lookout for disabled-veteran-owned businesses to provide services for the government, Martoccia said.
There is "a strong focus" by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and other senior officials to ensure the program is fully implemented, Martoccia noted.
More than 24,000 servicemembers have been wounded or injured on duty since the global war against terrorism began on Sept. 11, 2001, Martoccia said. Many of these veterans have had to leave the military due to disabling injury, he noted.
The SDVOSB program is geared toward helping disabled veterans establish second careers as entrepreneurs who do business with the Defense Department, Martoccia said. The program, he added, is open to disabled veterans from all the nation's wars and all branches of military service.
"There's a lot of work out there, obviously, and there's a lot of opportunity," Martoccia said. Last year, the SDVOSB program registered more than 5,000 businesses. Today, disabled-veteran-owned businesses account for more than $1 billion in government contracts.
The Pentagon is putting the word out to military contracting officers about the government-wide goal to award 3 percent of contracts to businesses owned by disabled veterans, Martoccia said.
"A lot of these companies can really get some business with the federal marketplace," he said.
Gates Asks Congress to Transfer More Funds to MRAP Program
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
July 18, 2007 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates yesterday asked Congress for approval to transfer nearly $1.2 billion to the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle program to get an estimated 3,500 of the vehicles to Iraq by the year's end, defense officials announced today. The funds, to be added to almost $4 billion already programmed for MRAPs this year, will speed up the timetable for getting deployed troops the best armored vehicles possible, said John Young, director of defense research and engineering and chairman of the Defense Department's MRAP task force.
By reprogramming an additional $1.2 billion to the program, the department can sign contracts for an additional 2,650 MRAPs, Young told Pentagon reporters today. This will bring the department's total MRAP order to 6,415.
Nearly three-quarters of those MRAPs are slated for delivery by Dec. 31. "By the end of the year, we hope to have delivered 3,935 vehicles," he said.
Factoring in the time required to equip those vehicles with jammers, communication equipment and other gear and to deliver them to the theater, Young estimated that about 3,500 of the MRAPs will be in Iraq by Dec. 31.
Meeting last night with the House and Senate Armed Services and Appropriation committees, Gates emphasized the importance of getting the V-hulled vehicles that deflect underbelly blasts to the combat zone as quickly as possible, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said.
Gates told Congress "time is of the essence," because "every month troops go without MRAPs could indeed cost lives," Morrell said. "The secretary came away from his meeting confident that Congress recognizes the urgency of this request, and he is hopeful they will quickly approve it," he said.
Congress already has shown solid support for MRAPs. The legislators added $1.2 billion to the department's initial $2.6 billion request for the program for fiscal 2007, Young said.
If approved, the fund transfer to the MRAP program will make it the Defense Department's third-largest acquisition program, he noted. Only the missile defense and Joint Strike Fighter programs will be bigger.
But dollars alone aren't enough to get MRAPs to the field, defense officials recognize. "There are no parking lots anywhere where we can go and buy lots of MRAPs," said Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Michael Brogan, commander of Marine Corps Systems Command.
Another problem is that no existing production lines were equipped to pump out as many MRAPs as the department needs as fast as it needs them.
A joint Defense Department team is jumping through hoops to cut through those obstacles and move MRAP procurement as quickly as possible, Young said. "This is not being handled in a business-as-usual fashion," he said.
The Defense Department has dramatically compressed the normal contracting process, worked around the clock to test potential vehicles, and helped industry aggressively ramp up production capacity, Morrell told reporters.
Four companies currently produce MRAPs, and another may join the effort soon if its prototype model measures up, Brogan said. These companies are quickly increasing their production rates to keep up with demand.
But the MRAP task force's first challenge, Young said, was to make sure the materials and parts required for MRAPs were being produced at rates fast enough to keep up with production.
For example, the tire industry was able to produce only about 1,000 of the large, heavy-duty MRAP tires per month in June. To keep pace with plans to build about 1,300 MRAPs per month by December, at least 6,000 tires a month would be needed.
"We have taken steps to help two vendors increase their ability to build tires, and we are buying tires as fast as they can produce them so that we don't have a shortage," Young said. "And we have worked within the government to buy those tires as fast as they can be produced," Young said.
The task force faced similar issues with steel, axles, engines and other MRAP components, and is taking similar measures to ensure they're available, he said.
To help their efforts, Gates assigned the MRAP program a "DX" rating in June to ensure other defense programs don't interfere with MRAP production, said Young. DX ratings are reserved for top-priority defense acquisition programs.
"The DX rating provides MRAP the highest-priority access to components and materials if supplier capacity cannot meet the demand from all programs," Young explained.
Another challenge in MRAP acquisition is ensuring the vehicles produced are up to standard and provide the best protection possible, he said.
Testers at the Army's Aberdeen Test Center, at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., are putting MRAPs through the paces, Brogan said. Working three shifts around the clock, they're evaluating prototypes to ensure they provide adequate ballistic protection and operate reliably.
In addition, troops who have served in Iraq are testing the vehicles under conditions designed to replicate the combat theater, he said.
As production capabilities increase, Morrell said, it's "imperative to take full advantage of that new-found capacity."
Troops in Iraq deserve nothing less than the very best armored vehicles possible, the officials said.
"Our troops battling improvised explosive devices deserve the very best protection available," Morrell said. "And right now, that is an armored vehicle with a raised chassis and a V-shaped undercarriage, features that make MRAPs better able to deflect blasts on roadside and deeply buried bombs."
American Forces Press Service
July 18, 2007 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates yesterday asked Congress for approval to transfer nearly $1.2 billion to the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle program to get an estimated 3,500 of the vehicles to Iraq by the year's end, defense officials announced today. The funds, to be added to almost $4 billion already programmed for MRAPs this year, will speed up the timetable for getting deployed troops the best armored vehicles possible, said John Young, director of defense research and engineering and chairman of the Defense Department's MRAP task force.
By reprogramming an additional $1.2 billion to the program, the department can sign contracts for an additional 2,650 MRAPs, Young told Pentagon reporters today. This will bring the department's total MRAP order to 6,415.
Nearly three-quarters of those MRAPs are slated for delivery by Dec. 31. "By the end of the year, we hope to have delivered 3,935 vehicles," he said.
Factoring in the time required to equip those vehicles with jammers, communication equipment and other gear and to deliver them to the theater, Young estimated that about 3,500 of the MRAPs will be in Iraq by Dec. 31.
Meeting last night with the House and Senate Armed Services and Appropriation committees, Gates emphasized the importance of getting the V-hulled vehicles that deflect underbelly blasts to the combat zone as quickly as possible, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said.
Gates told Congress "time is of the essence," because "every month troops go without MRAPs could indeed cost lives," Morrell said. "The secretary came away from his meeting confident that Congress recognizes the urgency of this request, and he is hopeful they will quickly approve it," he said.
Congress already has shown solid support for MRAPs. The legislators added $1.2 billion to the department's initial $2.6 billion request for the program for fiscal 2007, Young said.
If approved, the fund transfer to the MRAP program will make it the Defense Department's third-largest acquisition program, he noted. Only the missile defense and Joint Strike Fighter programs will be bigger.
But dollars alone aren't enough to get MRAPs to the field, defense officials recognize. "There are no parking lots anywhere where we can go and buy lots of MRAPs," said Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Michael Brogan, commander of Marine Corps Systems Command.
Another problem is that no existing production lines were equipped to pump out as many MRAPs as the department needs as fast as it needs them.
A joint Defense Department team is jumping through hoops to cut through those obstacles and move MRAP procurement as quickly as possible, Young said. "This is not being handled in a business-as-usual fashion," he said.
The Defense Department has dramatically compressed the normal contracting process, worked around the clock to test potential vehicles, and helped industry aggressively ramp up production capacity, Morrell told reporters.
Four companies currently produce MRAPs, and another may join the effort soon if its prototype model measures up, Brogan said. These companies are quickly increasing their production rates to keep up with demand.
But the MRAP task force's first challenge, Young said, was to make sure the materials and parts required for MRAPs were being produced at rates fast enough to keep up with production.
For example, the tire industry was able to produce only about 1,000 of the large, heavy-duty MRAP tires per month in June. To keep pace with plans to build about 1,300 MRAPs per month by December, at least 6,000 tires a month would be needed.
"We have taken steps to help two vendors increase their ability to build tires, and we are buying tires as fast as they can produce them so that we don't have a shortage," Young said. "And we have worked within the government to buy those tires as fast as they can be produced," Young said.
The task force faced similar issues with steel, axles, engines and other MRAP components, and is taking similar measures to ensure they're available, he said.
To help their efforts, Gates assigned the MRAP program a "DX" rating in June to ensure other defense programs don't interfere with MRAP production, said Young. DX ratings are reserved for top-priority defense acquisition programs.
"The DX rating provides MRAP the highest-priority access to components and materials if supplier capacity cannot meet the demand from all programs," Young explained.
Another challenge in MRAP acquisition is ensuring the vehicles produced are up to standard and provide the best protection possible, he said.
Testers at the Army's Aberdeen Test Center, at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., are putting MRAPs through the paces, Brogan said. Working three shifts around the clock, they're evaluating prototypes to ensure they provide adequate ballistic protection and operate reliably.
In addition, troops who have served in Iraq are testing the vehicles under conditions designed to replicate the combat theater, he said.
As production capabilities increase, Morrell said, it's "imperative to take full advantage of that new-found capacity."
Troops in Iraq deserve nothing less than the very best armored vehicles possible, the officials said.
"Our troops battling improvised explosive devices deserve the very best protection available," Morrell said. "And right now, that is an armored vehicle with a raised chassis and a V-shaped undercarriage, features that make MRAPs better able to deflect blasts on roadside and deeply buried bombs."
Group Provides Troops Vital Link to Home
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
July 18, 2007 – A Tennessee-based organization provides deployed servicemembers with a link to home and the gratitude of the American public through care packages and letters it sends. "Operation Troop Aid is ... striving to make a positive difference and inspire our armed forces by letting them know Americans stand with them," Mark Woods, the group's president, said.
Operation Troop Aid is a new member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
The group's primary mission of sending servicemembers things they need is coupled with raising awareness about supporting the men and women defending the country, he said. The importance of that part of the mission is something to which he is attuned. Woods was deployed during the Sept. 11 attacks, according to the group's Web site.
Shortly after the attacks, he founded Operation Troop Aid. The Tennessee-based organization also has a branch in Virginia, though Woods hopes to expand Operation Troop Aid into a national organization.
The group accepts donations of cash or care package items, and also works with the entertainment industry to generate donations. To date, Operation Troop Aid has worked with Trick Pony, Nickelback, Hootie and the Blowfish, Leann Womack, Travis Tritt, the Beach Boys and Peter Frampton.
Other events, such as the "Punch Run for the Troops Benefit" scheduled for July 21, also help raise funds and donations for the group, he said.
For this event, bikers are invited to gather at the Harley-Davidson Shop in Hampton Roads, Va., where the ride begins. There, they can buy a punch card for $15. When each merchant listed on the card has punched it, the ticket holder earns a chance for a prize. At the last stop, participants can pack a box for the troops while they enjoy food and entertainment.
Woods expects to pack 500 care packages for troops that day.
"My dream is to turn (Operation Troop Aid) into the premier care package provider to deployed U.S. troops," he said on the group's Web site. "What better way to express our freedom than to reach out to the ones who provide it?"
American Forces Press Service
July 18, 2007 – A Tennessee-based organization provides deployed servicemembers with a link to home and the gratitude of the American public through care packages and letters it sends. "Operation Troop Aid is ... striving to make a positive difference and inspire our armed forces by letting them know Americans stand with them," Mark Woods, the group's president, said.
Operation Troop Aid is a new member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
The group's primary mission of sending servicemembers things they need is coupled with raising awareness about supporting the men and women defending the country, he said. The importance of that part of the mission is something to which he is attuned. Woods was deployed during the Sept. 11 attacks, according to the group's Web site.
Shortly after the attacks, he founded Operation Troop Aid. The Tennessee-based organization also has a branch in Virginia, though Woods hopes to expand Operation Troop Aid into a national organization.
The group accepts donations of cash or care package items, and also works with the entertainment industry to generate donations. To date, Operation Troop Aid has worked with Trick Pony, Nickelback, Hootie and the Blowfish, Leann Womack, Travis Tritt, the Beach Boys and Peter Frampton.
Other events, such as the "Punch Run for the Troops Benefit" scheduled for July 21, also help raise funds and donations for the group, he said.
For this event, bikers are invited to gather at the Harley-Davidson Shop in Hampton Roads, Va., where the ride begins. There, they can buy a punch card for $15. When each merchant listed on the card has punched it, the ticket holder earns a chance for a prize. At the last stop, participants can pack a box for the troops while they enjoy food and entertainment.
Woods expects to pack 500 care packages for troops that day.
"My dream is to turn (Operation Troop Aid) into the premier care package provider to deployed U.S. troops," he said on the group's Web site. "What better way to express our freedom than to reach out to the ones who provide it?"
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Golfers Tee Up Support for Troops, Families
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
July 17, 2007 – A San Diego-based group is working to remind troops serving overseas that folks back home are grateful for their efforts, the group's founder and chairman said. "Golfers 4 Freedom is ... dedicated toward caring for our military and their families," Keith Barnett said. "Our main effort is to give encouragement and pride to our enlisted servicemembers.
"It is vital to support those willing to sacrifice their lives in the name of freedom," he added.
Golfers 4 Freedom is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
The group holds regular golf tournament fundraisers, which benefit other nonprofit groups that offer direct support to military families.
The first tournament, held in 2006, raised more than $9,000 for fellow America Supports You member the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund, which grants scholarship to children of servicemembers killed or seriously injured in the line of duty.
The group also presented children of these servicemembers with Christmas gifts through the American Christmas Foundation.
Most recently, the group held a golf tournament and used the money raised to provide hand-crank bikes for amputees at Naval Medical Center San Diego. "These young men use the equipment to get exercise and fresh air," Barnett said.
Golfers 4 Freedom also runs an all-year program that provides golf equipment to U.S. military camps in Iraq, he said.
"Soldiers and Marines have used the equipment to set up golf ranges (and) courses," Barnett said. "This ... gives them a quiet time to relax individually or team up for a competitive sport."
The group's America Supports You membership has provided national visibility.
"We had a gentleman from New York find us through (the America Supports You) Web site," Barnett said. "His golf club was hosting a golf tournament and chose us as the recipient of the money raised.
"In addition, (the membership) gives us credibility with those not familiar with Golfers 4 Freedom," he added.
American Forces Press Service
July 17, 2007 – A San Diego-based group is working to remind troops serving overseas that folks back home are grateful for their efforts, the group's founder and chairman said. "Golfers 4 Freedom is ... dedicated toward caring for our military and their families," Keith Barnett said. "Our main effort is to give encouragement and pride to our enlisted servicemembers.
"It is vital to support those willing to sacrifice their lives in the name of freedom," he added.
Golfers 4 Freedom is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
The group holds regular golf tournament fundraisers, which benefit other nonprofit groups that offer direct support to military families.
The first tournament, held in 2006, raised more than $9,000 for fellow America Supports You member the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund, which grants scholarship to children of servicemembers killed or seriously injured in the line of duty.
The group also presented children of these servicemembers with Christmas gifts through the American Christmas Foundation.
Most recently, the group held a golf tournament and used the money raised to provide hand-crank bikes for amputees at Naval Medical Center San Diego. "These young men use the equipment to get exercise and fresh air," Barnett said.
Golfers 4 Freedom also runs an all-year program that provides golf equipment to U.S. military camps in Iraq, he said.
"Soldiers and Marines have used the equipment to set up golf ranges (and) courses," Barnett said. "This ... gives them a quiet time to relax individually or team up for a competitive sport."
The group's America Supports You membership has provided national visibility.
"We had a gentleman from New York find us through (the America Supports You) Web site," Barnett said. "His golf club was hosting a golf tournament and chose us as the recipient of the money raised.
"In addition, (the membership) gives us credibility with those not familiar with Golfers 4 Freedom," he added.
DoD Increases R&R Policy
The Department of Defense approved today a policy change to the U.S. Central Command Rest and Recuperation Leave Program, increasing the time provided to military service members for rest and recuperation in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
The policy change, signed by David S. C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, increases the R&R leave period from 15 to 18 chargeable days for those service members deploying to the OEF and OIF area of operations for 15 months.
The amended policy became effective July 13, 2007, applies to military personnel only and is not retroactive. Only service members who took leave on or after July 13, 2007, may take 18 days of leave.
Service members will not be charged for their travel days. The R&R leave begins when the service member arrives at the commercial airport nearest their leave destination.
Service members serving one-year tours will continue to receive 15 days of chargeable R&R leave.
The amended R&R policy came as a result of the recent DoD change to the rotation and mobilization policy increasing some theater deployments to 15-month tours.
The policy change, signed by David S. C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, increases the R&R leave period from 15 to 18 chargeable days for those service members deploying to the OEF and OIF area of operations for 15 months.
The amended policy became effective July 13, 2007, applies to military personnel only and is not retroactive. Only service members who took leave on or after July 13, 2007, may take 18 days of leave.
Service members will not be charged for their travel days. The R&R leave begins when the service member arrives at the commercial airport nearest their leave destination.
Service members serving one-year tours will continue to receive 15 days of chargeable R&R leave.
The amended R&R policy came as a result of the recent DoD change to the rotation and mobilization policy increasing some theater deployments to 15-month tours.
Army to Launch Traumatic Brain Injury, PTSD Education Program
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
July 17, 2007 – Within 90 days, all soldiers will receive information to help them identify symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and mild traumatic brain injury, and they will be urged to seek treatment if necessary, Army officials told reporters at the Pentagon today. Mental health care professionals will brief Army Secretary Pete Geren on the new program at the Pentagon tomorrow. And by Oct. 18, the same educational supplement will have been presented to platoon-sized groups of active-duty, reserve and National Guard soldiers throughout the force.
"The mild traumatic brain injury and the post-traumatic stress disorders -- they're real," said Army Lt. Gen. James Campbell, director of the Army staff. "They impact soldiers and impact those soldiers' families. And as a result of that, that impacts the readiness of our great Army."
During his 37-year career, Campbell said he recalls only two other instances when the Army mandated such extensive "chain training" programs.
According to subject matter experts, mild traumatic brain injury is an affliction that's become a signature injury of the war on terror, often resulting from soldiers' proximity to roadside bombs, mortars and other explosions. Symptoms are similar to those resulting from a concussion, from slower reaction times to emotional and cognitive problems.
PTSD often occurs from a feeling of helplessness at the time of a severely traumatic event. It manifests itself in three clusters of symptoms: intrusive re-experiencing of the event, numbness or disassociation, and hypervigilance, or the feeling that one is constantly "on edge."
Traumatic brain injury, which ranges from mild to moderate and severe cases, requires an "injury event," while PTSD can occur from cumulative effects of combat or extended deployments.
During two 30-minute multimedia presentations that make up the program, soldiers will learn to identify basic symptoms in themselves and other soldiers. Afterwards, health professionals will answer troops' questions. The Army also has produced a video to make soldiers' family members more sensitive to possible warning signs and treatment options.
Campbell said the program's main objective is to reverse the tendency in military culture to attach a stigma to mental health care.
"I'm not naive. There is a huge culture issue here, and it is this: that those leaders or soldiers who seek help could be perceived ... as being weak," he said. "The whole thrust behind this program is that if you are, in fact, someone who needs help, that desire to get that help is not perceived as a weakness but rather as a strength, as a personal courage to do it."
Anticipating greater demand on its medical system, the Army is actively recruiting health care practitioners, hoping to gain 270 professionals. Currently, some soldiers wait up to one month before receiving treatment; the Army is seeking to reduce that amount of time.
"The sooner the intervention is made, the easier it is to treat," said Army Dr. (Col.) Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, director of Army's Proponency Office for Behavioral Health. "We don't want another Vietnam. We don't want people with chronic symptoms who first present (them) 15, 20, 25 years later when it's really hard to get rid of the symptoms.
"We want to take care of them and help the person right away," she added.
Soldiers and their families will be able to learn more about the program at www.army.mil. Also, the Wounded Soldier and Family Hotline can be reached at 1-800-984-8523, or via email at wsfsupport@conus.army.mil.
American Forces Press Service
July 17, 2007 – Within 90 days, all soldiers will receive information to help them identify symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and mild traumatic brain injury, and they will be urged to seek treatment if necessary, Army officials told reporters at the Pentagon today. Mental health care professionals will brief Army Secretary Pete Geren on the new program at the Pentagon tomorrow. And by Oct. 18, the same educational supplement will have been presented to platoon-sized groups of active-duty, reserve and National Guard soldiers throughout the force.
"The mild traumatic brain injury and the post-traumatic stress disorders -- they're real," said Army Lt. Gen. James Campbell, director of the Army staff. "They impact soldiers and impact those soldiers' families. And as a result of that, that impacts the readiness of our great Army."
During his 37-year career, Campbell said he recalls only two other instances when the Army mandated such extensive "chain training" programs.
According to subject matter experts, mild traumatic brain injury is an affliction that's become a signature injury of the war on terror, often resulting from soldiers' proximity to roadside bombs, mortars and other explosions. Symptoms are similar to those resulting from a concussion, from slower reaction times to emotional and cognitive problems.
PTSD often occurs from a feeling of helplessness at the time of a severely traumatic event. It manifests itself in three clusters of symptoms: intrusive re-experiencing of the event, numbness or disassociation, and hypervigilance, or the feeling that one is constantly "on edge."
Traumatic brain injury, which ranges from mild to moderate and severe cases, requires an "injury event," while PTSD can occur from cumulative effects of combat or extended deployments.
During two 30-minute multimedia presentations that make up the program, soldiers will learn to identify basic symptoms in themselves and other soldiers. Afterwards, health professionals will answer troops' questions. The Army also has produced a video to make soldiers' family members more sensitive to possible warning signs and treatment options.
Campbell said the program's main objective is to reverse the tendency in military culture to attach a stigma to mental health care.
"I'm not naive. There is a huge culture issue here, and it is this: that those leaders or soldiers who seek help could be perceived ... as being weak," he said. "The whole thrust behind this program is that if you are, in fact, someone who needs help, that desire to get that help is not perceived as a weakness but rather as a strength, as a personal courage to do it."
Anticipating greater demand on its medical system, the Army is actively recruiting health care practitioners, hoping to gain 270 professionals. Currently, some soldiers wait up to one month before receiving treatment; the Army is seeking to reduce that amount of time.
"The sooner the intervention is made, the easier it is to treat," said Army Dr. (Col.) Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, director of Army's Proponency Office for Behavioral Health. "We don't want another Vietnam. We don't want people with chronic symptoms who first present (them) 15, 20, 25 years later when it's really hard to get rid of the symptoms.
"We want to take care of them and help the person right away," she added.
Soldiers and their families will be able to learn more about the program at www.army.mil. Also, the Wounded Soldier and Family Hotline can be reached at 1-800-984-8523, or via email at wsfsupport@conus.army.mil.
Annual Program Highlights Women's Contribution to Federal Service
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
July 17, 2007 – Over the years, women equipped with industry acumen and armed with advanced degrees have climbed ladders and shattered the glass ceiling that had once stunted their career growth. To train and mentor aspiring female professionals in the federal sector, a group known as Federally Employed Women, or FEW, began a training program in 1970. About 50 participants gathered yesterday for the Defense Department's forum on women affairs, one installment in a series of courses and lectures at the 38th annual FEW seminar, which runs through July 20 at the Hilton Washington Hotel here.
"Up until the 1940s, only a handful of agencies hired women," said keynote speaker Tina Jonas, the Defense Department's comptroller and chief financial officer. "Some of the offices, including the U.S. Patent Office, provided billets for women, but the women had to work at home, and their paychecks were made out in the name of their male relatives."
Jonas, the first woman to serve as the Defense Department's comptroller, said women's contribution to the work force today is invaluable.
"We simply would not be able to manage without women," she said. "At the Pentagon, women fill every role in the civil service, and throughout the armed services, including admiral and general."
As comptroller, Jonas manages an office that comprises about 60 budget analysts and other accountants, who she said put together roughly $750 billion worth of budgetary requests in "record time." Last year, the staff earned the Presidential Rank Award, which recognizes and celebrates a small group of career senior executives for exceptional long-term accomplishments.
Forty-nine percent of those workers are women who fulfill leading roles, Jonas said. For example, the assistant deputy chief financial officer, director for military personnel and construction, and director of operations are women, she noted.
"I would say that their leadership is absolutely key to the defense of the nation and to the efficient and effective management of the nation's dollars," she said. "It's not an easy job."
The team, which has near-equal gender representation, managed a $481 billion 2008 base budget, a $142 billion global war on terror budget, and $100 billion of emergency supplement funding from Congress.
"We are a complex organization," she said. "We're bigger than Ford, General Motors, Exxon or even Wal-Mart."
Jonas addressed the contributions of women in uniform, including Air Force Master Sgt. Artri Spratling, who opened the forum by singing the national anthem.
"I always get a little chill up my spine when I hear the anthem, and the master sergeant who sang today was really good at her job," Jonas said. "There are women across the military, from her job all the way across the department, working in theater, flying airplanes; this is a wonderful department.
"It's a great place for women," she noted.
American Forces Press Service
July 17, 2007 – Over the years, women equipped with industry acumen and armed with advanced degrees have climbed ladders and shattered the glass ceiling that had once stunted their career growth. To train and mentor aspiring female professionals in the federal sector, a group known as Federally Employed Women, or FEW, began a training program in 1970. About 50 participants gathered yesterday for the Defense Department's forum on women affairs, one installment in a series of courses and lectures at the 38th annual FEW seminar, which runs through July 20 at the Hilton Washington Hotel here.
"Up until the 1940s, only a handful of agencies hired women," said keynote speaker Tina Jonas, the Defense Department's comptroller and chief financial officer. "Some of the offices, including the U.S. Patent Office, provided billets for women, but the women had to work at home, and their paychecks were made out in the name of their male relatives."
Jonas, the first woman to serve as the Defense Department's comptroller, said women's contribution to the work force today is invaluable.
"We simply would not be able to manage without women," she said. "At the Pentagon, women fill every role in the civil service, and throughout the armed services, including admiral and general."
As comptroller, Jonas manages an office that comprises about 60 budget analysts and other accountants, who she said put together roughly $750 billion worth of budgetary requests in "record time." Last year, the staff earned the Presidential Rank Award, which recognizes and celebrates a small group of career senior executives for exceptional long-term accomplishments.
Forty-nine percent of those workers are women who fulfill leading roles, Jonas said. For example, the assistant deputy chief financial officer, director for military personnel and construction, and director of operations are women, she noted.
"I would say that their leadership is absolutely key to the defense of the nation and to the efficient and effective management of the nation's dollars," she said. "It's not an easy job."
The team, which has near-equal gender representation, managed a $481 billion 2008 base budget, a $142 billion global war on terror budget, and $100 billion of emergency supplement funding from Congress.
"We are a complex organization," she said. "We're bigger than Ford, General Motors, Exxon or even Wal-Mart."
Jonas addressed the contributions of women in uniform, including Air Force Master Sgt. Artri Spratling, who opened the forum by singing the national anthem.
"I always get a little chill up my spine when I hear the anthem, and the master sergeant who sang today was really good at her job," Jonas said. "There are women across the military, from her job all the way across the department, working in theater, flying airplanes; this is a wonderful department.
"It's a great place for women," she noted.
Search Underway for WWII Japanese MIAs in Alaska
The Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that a small team of Japanese and U.S. specialists is visiting Attu Island, Alaska, in search of information which may lead them to remains of missing Japanese soldiers.
With support from the Department of Defense, the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the team of five Japanese and three Americans arrived Thursday for a four day mission. The team is investigating potential loss or burial sites where the remains of Japanese soldiers may be found. The team's findings will be evaluated by the U.S. and Japanese governments to determine if follow-on excavations are called for.
Primary airlift for the team was provided by the U.S. Coast Guard on a regularly-scheduled C-130 airlift mission from Kodiak to Attu Island. While visiting the island, the team is being housed at the long range navigation station where some Coast Guardsmen have volunteered to assist in the investigations. Attu Island is under the management and protection of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which administers the Aleutian Islands National Wildlife Refuge. At the end of Alaska's Aleutian island chain, Attu is the westernmost point of land of the United States.
In June 1942, a unit of the Japanese Army occupied Attu, capturing and imprisoning many of its inhabitants. U.S. forces began action to recapture the small island in May 1943, where fierce hand-to-hand battles led to about 540 American and 2,300 Japanese deaths. It was the site of the only land battle in WWII in North America.
Shortly after the war, 235 sets of Japanese remains were recovered on Attu by U.S. forces and reburied at Ft. Richardson, near Anchorage, Alaska. The Japanese later disinterred those remains, cremated them as part of a religious ceremony and reburied them at the same location.
The Japanese government assisted U.S. investigators last month in a visit to Iwo Jima in search of information related to American WWII MIAs.
With support from the Department of Defense, the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the team of five Japanese and three Americans arrived Thursday for a four day mission. The team is investigating potential loss or burial sites where the remains of Japanese soldiers may be found. The team's findings will be evaluated by the U.S. and Japanese governments to determine if follow-on excavations are called for.
Primary airlift for the team was provided by the U.S. Coast Guard on a regularly-scheduled C-130 airlift mission from Kodiak to Attu Island. While visiting the island, the team is being housed at the long range navigation station where some Coast Guardsmen have volunteered to assist in the investigations. Attu Island is under the management and protection of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which administers the Aleutian Islands National Wildlife Refuge. At the end of Alaska's Aleutian island chain, Attu is the westernmost point of land of the United States.
In June 1942, a unit of the Japanese Army occupied Attu, capturing and imprisoning many of its inhabitants. U.S. forces began action to recapture the small island in May 1943, where fierce hand-to-hand battles led to about 540 American and 2,300 Japanese deaths. It was the site of the only land battle in WWII in North America.
Shortly after the war, 235 sets of Japanese remains were recovered on Attu by U.S. forces and reburied at Ft. Richardson, near Anchorage, Alaska. The Japanese later disinterred those remains, cremated them as part of a religious ceremony and reburied them at the same location.
The Japanese government assisted U.S. investigators last month in a visit to Iwo Jima in search of information related to American WWII MIAs.
Peer Amputee Volunteer Puts Experience, Compassion Into Recovery
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
July 16, 2007 – An admitted golf "nut," Jack Farley said he has heard probably every handicap joke there is, having hit the green for the last four decades wearing a prosthetic right leg. Still, nobody cuts him any slack, he said. "I try to get strokes for this and nobody will give me any strokes," Farley said and laughed.
Farley is a peer amputee visitor at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here. A retired federal judge, Farley is quick with a joke and a smile. He knows nearly everybody at the center it seems and knows nearly everything there is to know about prosthetics.
His right leg was claimed by a mortar in Vietnam nearly 40 years ago. He was fitted for his first prosthesis at Walter Reed. It was there, on a blind date, that Farley met the woman who would later become his wife. It was there he started a new life. If he hadn't lost his leg, Farley said, he wouldn't have returned to college to study law and subsequently would not have become a federal judge. It is only fitting, Farley said, that he returns to help others.
"It's a sense of paying back. I had mentors and people visiting me when I was here in Walter Reed in 1969 and '70," he said. "I get more out of it than they do. It's a real selfish act on my part."
The peer visitor program began four years ago at Walter Reed when, due to the war in Iraq, an influx of amputees started entering the hospital system. It began with a small group of amputees experienced in visiting and listening and helping new amputees and has grown into a formal program offering training and certification. Peer amputee visitors are considered part of the treatment team at the center. They have access to every floor.
"In the beginning our job is just to listen. I don't come in and say, 'Hey, look at me,'" Farley said. "The peer visitor comes in and just tries to deal with the family and deal with the patient, explaining that life is going to be different, but whether it's better or worse it's still up to the patient."
On this visit, Farley talked with Marine Lance Cpl. Josh Bleill, who lost both legs in Iraq when the Humvee in which he was riding struck a bomb. It killed two fellow Marines, one riding to the front and one to the left of him. The gunner lost his right leg. Remarkably, the driver was uninjured and is still serving in Iraq, Josh said.
Josh was getting a new socket, the piece of the prosthetic leg in which the residual portion of the leg fits. New bone growth in Josh's leg rubbed against his old socket, causing pain.
Wearing a pair of khaki shorts, Farley sported a star-spangled socket -- blue with white stars, just like an American flag. It is the most important piece of the prosthetic leg, he said.
"You can put a million dollars in technology below the socket, but if it doesn't fit right or is uncomfortable, nobody is going to wear it," he said.
Josh said Farley's experience sometimes helps him explain things to the doctors and technicians that are hard to put into words.
The program consistently receives the highest ratings from patients at the center, he said.
"It's a great program," Josh said. "It's nice to see when you are first injured that there is life after this."
Farley said his role changes during the progress of the amputee. Each goes through five stages: enduring, suffering, reckoning, reconciling and normalization.
For many, though, there is a sixth stage -- thriving, Farley said.
"You'll see people who actually accomplish more having gone through the trauma ... than they would without it," Farley said.
"I wouldn't have gone to law school. I already had an MBA. I was going into business. I would have never been a lawyer, much less a federal judge," Farley said. "By overcoming this in a positive way, it actually can assist you in other challenges in life."
Farley said that some younger servicemembers resist help at first. He told the story of a young man who was trying to do everything himself, resisting the helpful efforts of a new bride.
"He wanted to do everything himself," Farley said. "One day I just pulled him aside and said, "You know, the greatest gift of love you can give is to maybe allow somebody to help you.
"Later on, we all realize we need the help of everybody," he said.
American Forces Press Service
July 16, 2007 – An admitted golf "nut," Jack Farley said he has heard probably every handicap joke there is, having hit the green for the last four decades wearing a prosthetic right leg. Still, nobody cuts him any slack, he said. "I try to get strokes for this and nobody will give me any strokes," Farley said and laughed.
Farley is a peer amputee visitor at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here. A retired federal judge, Farley is quick with a joke and a smile. He knows nearly everybody at the center it seems and knows nearly everything there is to know about prosthetics.
His right leg was claimed by a mortar in Vietnam nearly 40 years ago. He was fitted for his first prosthesis at Walter Reed. It was there, on a blind date, that Farley met the woman who would later become his wife. It was there he started a new life. If he hadn't lost his leg, Farley said, he wouldn't have returned to college to study law and subsequently would not have become a federal judge. It is only fitting, Farley said, that he returns to help others.
"It's a sense of paying back. I had mentors and people visiting me when I was here in Walter Reed in 1969 and '70," he said. "I get more out of it than they do. It's a real selfish act on my part."
The peer visitor program began four years ago at Walter Reed when, due to the war in Iraq, an influx of amputees started entering the hospital system. It began with a small group of amputees experienced in visiting and listening and helping new amputees and has grown into a formal program offering training and certification. Peer amputee visitors are considered part of the treatment team at the center. They have access to every floor.
"In the beginning our job is just to listen. I don't come in and say, 'Hey, look at me,'" Farley said. "The peer visitor comes in and just tries to deal with the family and deal with the patient, explaining that life is going to be different, but whether it's better or worse it's still up to the patient."
On this visit, Farley talked with Marine Lance Cpl. Josh Bleill, who lost both legs in Iraq when the Humvee in which he was riding struck a bomb. It killed two fellow Marines, one riding to the front and one to the left of him. The gunner lost his right leg. Remarkably, the driver was uninjured and is still serving in Iraq, Josh said.
Josh was getting a new socket, the piece of the prosthetic leg in which the residual portion of the leg fits. New bone growth in Josh's leg rubbed against his old socket, causing pain.
Wearing a pair of khaki shorts, Farley sported a star-spangled socket -- blue with white stars, just like an American flag. It is the most important piece of the prosthetic leg, he said.
"You can put a million dollars in technology below the socket, but if it doesn't fit right or is uncomfortable, nobody is going to wear it," he said.
Josh said Farley's experience sometimes helps him explain things to the doctors and technicians that are hard to put into words.
The program consistently receives the highest ratings from patients at the center, he said.
"It's a great program," Josh said. "It's nice to see when you are first injured that there is life after this."
Farley said his role changes during the progress of the amputee. Each goes through five stages: enduring, suffering, reckoning, reconciling and normalization.
For many, though, there is a sixth stage -- thriving, Farley said.
"You'll see people who actually accomplish more having gone through the trauma ... than they would without it," Farley said.
"I wouldn't have gone to law school. I already had an MBA. I was going into business. I would have never been a lawyer, much less a federal judge," Farley said. "By overcoming this in a positive way, it actually can assist you in other challenges in life."
Farley said that some younger servicemembers resist help at first. He told the story of a young man who was trying to do everything himself, resisting the helpful efforts of a new bride.
"He wanted to do everything himself," Farley said. "One day I just pulled him aside and said, "You know, the greatest gift of love you can give is to maybe allow somebody to help you.
"Later on, we all realize we need the help of everybody," he said.
Women's Basketball Salutes Troops, Families
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
July 16, 2007 – The Women's National Basketball Association showed its support for the military by giving out 2,000 free tickets for U.S. servicemembers and military family members to attend this year's All-Star Game held yesterday at the Verizon Center here. To further honor women serving in the military, the WNBA invited Air Force Brig. Gen. Michelle D. Johnson to attend the game. Johnson, a former star player on the Air Force Academy's women's basketball team and a member of the academy's athletic hall of fame, participated in a ceremonial tip off.
"It's fabulous the WNBA would be so generous and invite so many military members and their kids," said Johnson, the director of U.S. Air Force Public Affairs. Parallels between sports and the military are "immense," she noted, citing shared values of teamwork, setting goals and working for a greater good.
WNBA leaders and players "do great things for their communities," Johnson said. "I love it that they're reaching out to the folks here."
Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne also attended the game. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Casey Elliot, a vocalist for the U.S. Navy Band, was accompanied by a Joint Service Color Guard as she sang the national anthem before the game began.
The Women's NBA is proud to honor America's servicemembers and their families, said Donna Orender, the association's president.
"The WNBA really believes in thanking all of the service people, because we truly believe that they not only support, but also help to create our way of life and preserve it," Orender said.
Members of the crowd were encouraged to support U.S. troops by a pre-game announcement over the Verizon Center's public address system informing the crowd about the Defense Department's America Supports You program. The program connects servicemembers and their families to individuals, groups and companies that provide support and assistance. There are more than 250 ASY homefront groups, as well as a multitude of corporate sponsors.
The WNBA also has been "thrilled" with America Supports You, Orender said, noting it "is a great outreach program that allows every American to let our troops know that we are behind them, and I think that is very important."
Young beneficiaries of the America Supports You-affiliated group "Kids Serve Too" participated in pre-game activities and later welcomed the All-Star players as they took the court. Kids Serve Too sends thank you cards and letters to children of deployed servicemembers. Families from all branches of the armed services can request a letter for their children at www.saluteourservices.org.
Andrea Hall appreciated that Kids Serve Too sent cards to her children to thank them for their father's service in Afghanistan in 2005. "I think that military families need all the support that they can get," she said. "America Supports You acts on that."
Wilda Ferguson, a member of another military family that attended the All-Star game, also is grateful for ASY and other kinds of family-member support. Her Virginia Army National Guard husband, Lt. Col. John Ferguson, just returned home after serving a year-long tour of duty in Iraq. John and Wilda Ferguson attended the All-Star Game with their twin 6-year-old daughters, Devin and Julia.
"People don't realize just how tough it is to have somebody deployed," Wilda said. "You try not to worry and do all the things that you need to do in order for him not to be worried about things on the home front so he can do what he needs to do while he's overseas."
The Eastern Conference All-Stars beat the West's squad, 103-99, in the annual All-Star showdown.
American Forces Press Service
July 16, 2007 – The Women's National Basketball Association showed its support for the military by giving out 2,000 free tickets for U.S. servicemembers and military family members to attend this year's All-Star Game held yesterday at the Verizon Center here. To further honor women serving in the military, the WNBA invited Air Force Brig. Gen. Michelle D. Johnson to attend the game. Johnson, a former star player on the Air Force Academy's women's basketball team and a member of the academy's athletic hall of fame, participated in a ceremonial tip off.
"It's fabulous the WNBA would be so generous and invite so many military members and their kids," said Johnson, the director of U.S. Air Force Public Affairs. Parallels between sports and the military are "immense," she noted, citing shared values of teamwork, setting goals and working for a greater good.
WNBA leaders and players "do great things for their communities," Johnson said. "I love it that they're reaching out to the folks here."
Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne also attended the game. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Casey Elliot, a vocalist for the U.S. Navy Band, was accompanied by a Joint Service Color Guard as she sang the national anthem before the game began.
The Women's NBA is proud to honor America's servicemembers and their families, said Donna Orender, the association's president.
"The WNBA really believes in thanking all of the service people, because we truly believe that they not only support, but also help to create our way of life and preserve it," Orender said.
Members of the crowd were encouraged to support U.S. troops by a pre-game announcement over the Verizon Center's public address system informing the crowd about the Defense Department's America Supports You program. The program connects servicemembers and their families to individuals, groups and companies that provide support and assistance. There are more than 250 ASY homefront groups, as well as a multitude of corporate sponsors.
The WNBA also has been "thrilled" with America Supports You, Orender said, noting it "is a great outreach program that allows every American to let our troops know that we are behind them, and I think that is very important."
Young beneficiaries of the America Supports You-affiliated group "Kids Serve Too" participated in pre-game activities and later welcomed the All-Star players as they took the court. Kids Serve Too sends thank you cards and letters to children of deployed servicemembers. Families from all branches of the armed services can request a letter for their children at www.saluteourservices.org.
Andrea Hall appreciated that Kids Serve Too sent cards to her children to thank them for their father's service in Afghanistan in 2005. "I think that military families need all the support that they can get," she said. "America Supports You acts on that."
Wilda Ferguson, a member of another military family that attended the All-Star game, also is grateful for ASY and other kinds of family-member support. Her Virginia Army National Guard husband, Lt. Col. John Ferguson, just returned home after serving a year-long tour of duty in Iraq. John and Wilda Ferguson attended the All-Star Game with their twin 6-year-old daughters, Devin and Julia.
"People don't realize just how tough it is to have somebody deployed," Wilda said. "You try not to worry and do all the things that you need to do in order for him not to be worried about things on the home front so he can do what he needs to do while he's overseas."
The Eastern Conference All-Stars beat the West's squad, 103-99, in the annual All-Star showdown.
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