Editor's Note: One of the authors if a former servicemember and Vietnam Veteran.
January 21, 2008 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists state and local police officers who have written books. The website added three police officers, adding to the over 800 police officers, 1700 books which are classified in 32 categories.
Anthony Smith is a Georgia State University Police Department police officer. A gifted motivational speaker and youth mentor; he serves as an assistant to his Pastor at the Forest Chapel Baptist Church in Forest Park, Georgia. He is a native of Columbus, Ga. and now resides with his family in the Atlanta Metropolitan area. Anthony Smith is the author of Heaven’s Bouquet: Planted and Picked by God.
According to the book description of Heaven’s Bouquet, it “is not just a regular book of encouragement but also a book of enlightenment. We often forget that God is the creator and sustainer of this world. Society will forever miss the mark when it comes to the understanding of life and death.”
Martin A. Gonzalez is a member of the Public Safety Writer’s Association, a graduate of SUNY Empire State, and a Navy veteran. He was born and raised in New York, and a retired New York City Police Department police officer. Martin Gonzalez is the author of WereWolves Among Us.
According to the description of WereWolves Among Us, “One chilly early October morning, the body of a newspaper carrier is found brutally mutilated. He’s the first of more killing to baffle the detectives of the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Department. NYC police officer, Mike Serrano, decides to visit his sister in the small town of Liberty, NY for some peace and quiet after the death of his fiancée. Mike inadvertently becomes involved in the investigation along with his brother-in-law, Marty Pietri, a Sullivan County Sheriff’s deputy - Mike’s former partner with the NYPD.”
Thomas R. Randall entered the United States Army in 1966. He served until 1969, including a tour in Vietnam. In 1970, Thomas Randall joined the Elmira Police Department, serving until 1977. Since leaving the Elmira Police Department, Thomas Randall has working in law enforcement as a Federal Police Officer and INS Inspector.
Thomas Randall has a Masters Degree in education from Elmira College and graduated from New York State Police Officers Training Academy. He also graduated from the Federal Agents Academy, at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia. Thomas Randall is the author of The Badge and Stripes of Honor; Horse Soldiers; Hot Rods; Car Crazy; and, Angels With Whirly Wings "Dust Off": Vietnam '67.
According to the book description, The Book The Badge and Stripes of Honor “is written about the authors' life including a tour of duty in Vietnam 1966-1967 as a machine gunner.”
Police-Writers.com now hosts 833 police officers (representing 379 police departments) and their 1759 law enforcement books in 32 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.
Monday, January 21, 2008
1978: Clandestine Operation of Argentine Military Intelligence in Mexico
January 20, 2008 - Documents published today by the National Security Archive reveal that Mexico’s secret service captured a squad of Argentine military intelligence operatives and expelled them for spying on [exiled rebel] Montoneros living in Mexico" in January 1978. At the time, the Mexican press denounced the presence of foreigners attempting to target and assassinate the leadership of the Argentine Montonero insurgents. Today, the documents of the now dismantled Mexican Federal Security Directorate confirm that agents of Intelligence Area 121 in Rosario, Argentina, "were sent [to Mexico] by the authorities in their country."
http://www.nsarchive.org
http://www.nsarchive.org
CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- January 21, 2008
BWC [Biological Weapons Convention] States Tackle National Implementation
“A Dec. 10-14 meeting of member states of the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) offered rhetorical support for stepping up national implementation measures to bring domestic laws, administrative procedures, and regulations into conformity with the bioweapons ban. But the meeting also showcased transatlantic differences that have stymied attempts for more binding measures since the beginning of the Bush administration. Following up on a meeting of experts last August, the final report from the meeting of states-parties agreed on the ‘fundamental importance’ of national measures to implement the BWC. Such measures include controls on transfers of biological agents, biosafety and biosecurity regulations, and penal legislation. However, the meeting did not agree on any joint standards or collective measures. The meeting’s chair, Pakistani Ambassador Masood Khan, pointed out in his opening statement that the task of the meeting was to ‘promote common understanding and effective action,’
not to negotiate binding agreements.” (Arms Control Today, January/February 2008, Oliver Meier) http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2008_01-02/bwc.asp
India claims to have destroyed 93 % of its chemical weapons
“India has claimed to destroy its 93 per cent of chemical weapon stockpile and the remaining weapons will be eliminated by April, 2009. Media reports quoting official sources here [in New Dehli] said India had assured the international community [that it will] complete the process of total destruction of chemical weapons by April next year.” (Associated Press of Pakistan, 20Jan08)
http://www.app.com.pk/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=26753&Itemid=2
Deadly chemicals hidden in war cache
“For more than 60 years RAAF [Royal Australian Air Force] veterans Geoff Burn and Arthur Lewis kept silent about the terrible secret hidden in a disused railway tunnel at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Thousands of barrels filled with chemical weapons, including mustard gas, were stored in the tunnel at Glenbrook and other sites around Australia during the Second World War. The men were part of a secret unit formed to look after the deadly stockpile, kept for use against Japanese troops - a fact the Defence Department refused to admit until the late 1980s. And for decades successive governments refused to disclose that the Australian wartime command had conducted chemical warfare experiments on its own soldiers. […] Now, after decades of denials, the military is about to recognise the unit's contribution to the war effort. Next month the Defence Department will publish a book - Chemical Warfare In Australia - detailing the unit's story, including how they and army volunteers were used as guinea pigs by their own commanders.” (Sydney Morning Herald, 20Jan08, Frank Walker) http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/deadly-chemicals-hidden-in-war-cache/2008/01/19/1200620272396.html
Guinea pig’ sailor set for pay-out after 50 years
“A former sailor from York [England] who claims he was used as a guinea pig in chemical warfare experiments finally looks set to receive compensation - half a century later. Sam Smith says he has suffered from chest problems and watering eyes ever since he took part in research in the 1950s at the Ministry of Defence's chemical research centre at Porton Down, Wiltshire, after being led to believe he was helping to find a cure for the common cold.” (York Press, 21Jan08, Richard harris) http://www.thisisyork.co.uk/display.var.1980827.0.guinea_pig_sailor_set_for_payout_after_50_years.php
Porton Down veteran awaits compensation
“A war veteran who says he was duped into having chemical weapons tested on him is waiting with bated breath to see if he has been granted a slice of £3 million compensation. When former Royal Marine Jim Booth (63) agreed to take part in a two-week medical trial at Porton Down research centre in Wiltshire in the ’60s, he thought he would be trialling medication to treat the common cold. Instead, the Market Deeping man claims, he was subjected to mustard gas and was injected with unknown drugs before being made to take part in tests to assess his reactions.” (Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 18Jan08, Kirsty Nicolson) http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/Porton-Down-veteran-awaits-compensation.3686704.jp
Plan for chemical security is delayed
“Homeland Security officials have delayed a requirement that farmers register with the agency if they have certain amounts of certain chemicals. Farmers and ranchers had been facing a Tuesday deadline to come up with a security plan and register it. ‘Most producers knew nothing about either the requirements or the deadline; most state agriculture departments had not been told of them,’ said North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson, who is president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. Homeland Security, in announcing the delay, said the agency is gathering more information on the issue to see if changes to the requirements are warranted, especially in light of a new law that gives the agency authority to regulate the sale and transfer of ammonium nitrate fertilizer. Johnson said anhydrous ammonia, another popular farm fertilizer in North Dakota, also is included in Homeland Security's list of chemicals. The association Johnson heads brought its worries to Homeland Security, and ‘It appears the problem is at least temporarily resolved,’ he said.” (The Bismark Tribune, 21Jan08, AP) http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/2008/01/21/news/local/147054.txt
N.J. [New Jersey] security chief says state needs boost in federal funding
“New Jersey's mass transit system remains a potential target for a terrorist attack and needs additional federal funding to ensure safe passage for thousands of daily commuters, the state's top security official said yesterday. ‘Anything that happens here has implications for New York City,’ said Richard Cañas, director of the state Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness. ‘Yet every year we feel like deadbeats asking for federal handouts to protect ourselves against what we all agree is a national threat.’ Cañas' remarks came during a visit from U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, which controls how funds are distributed to states. Thompson visited the State Police Regional Operations Intelligence Center in West Trenton before taking a helicopter tour of potential terror targets in North Jersey. Those sites included Newark Liberty International Airport, the Lincoln Tunnel, the chemical facilities and oil refineries along the New Jersey Turnpike and Port Newark.” (The Star-Ledger, 20Jan08, John Holl)
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-9/1200807357158880.xml&coll=1
Students learn to be prepared for crises
“About 20 sophomores donned protective mesh vests, each with a piece of paper attached containing the title of an emergency worker. They gathered around a 20-by-6-foot table with a miniature city displayed on it and played roles. Their job was to evaluate a stream that reportedly had a contaminant in it. […] The students were answering […] questions during a homeland security and emergency preparedness class being piloted at Joppatowne High School [in Maryland] this school year. […] The students take the second part of the program during their junior year, when they select a specialty area of study from one of three topics: homeland security sciences, law enforcement and criminal justice, and information and communications technology. Depending on which area the students select, they study such topics as chemical and biological warfare, research methods, the justice system, law processes, first responders to emergency scenes, and evidence collection and analysis, and even learn how to use a geographic information system.” (Baltimore Sun, 20Jan08, Cassandra A. Fortin) http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/harford/bal-ha.homeland20jan20,0,703936.story
CNS ChemBio-WMD Terrorism News is prepared by the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in order to bring timely and focused information to researchers and policymakers interested in the fields of chemical, biological, and radiological weapons nonproliferation and WMD terrorism.
CNS presents these keywords and links for the convenience of the recipients of ChemBio-WMD Terrorism News, but CNS does not endorse these sites or the veracity of their information and cannot be responsible for the maintenance of the links listed here. For a searchable archive of the CBR-WMD Terrorism News listserv, please visit the Nuclear Threat Initiative's website, at http://www.nti.org/db/cbw/index.htm
“A Dec. 10-14 meeting of member states of the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) offered rhetorical support for stepping up national implementation measures to bring domestic laws, administrative procedures, and regulations into conformity with the bioweapons ban. But the meeting also showcased transatlantic differences that have stymied attempts for more binding measures since the beginning of the Bush administration. Following up on a meeting of experts last August, the final report from the meeting of states-parties agreed on the ‘fundamental importance’ of national measures to implement the BWC. Such measures include controls on transfers of biological agents, biosafety and biosecurity regulations, and penal legislation. However, the meeting did not agree on any joint standards or collective measures. The meeting’s chair, Pakistani Ambassador Masood Khan, pointed out in his opening statement that the task of the meeting was to ‘promote common understanding and effective action,’
not to negotiate binding agreements.” (Arms Control Today, January/February 2008, Oliver Meier) http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2008_01-02/bwc.asp
India claims to have destroyed 93 % of its chemical weapons
“India has claimed to destroy its 93 per cent of chemical weapon stockpile and the remaining weapons will be eliminated by April, 2009. Media reports quoting official sources here [in New Dehli] said India had assured the international community [that it will] complete the process of total destruction of chemical weapons by April next year.” (Associated Press of Pakistan, 20Jan08)
http://www.app.com.pk/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=26753&Itemid=2
Deadly chemicals hidden in war cache
“For more than 60 years RAAF [Royal Australian Air Force] veterans Geoff Burn and Arthur Lewis kept silent about the terrible secret hidden in a disused railway tunnel at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Thousands of barrels filled with chemical weapons, including mustard gas, were stored in the tunnel at Glenbrook and other sites around Australia during the Second World War. The men were part of a secret unit formed to look after the deadly stockpile, kept for use against Japanese troops - a fact the Defence Department refused to admit until the late 1980s. And for decades successive governments refused to disclose that the Australian wartime command had conducted chemical warfare experiments on its own soldiers. […] Now, after decades of denials, the military is about to recognise the unit's contribution to the war effort. Next month the Defence Department will publish a book - Chemical Warfare In Australia - detailing the unit's story, including how they and army volunteers were used as guinea pigs by their own commanders.” (Sydney Morning Herald, 20Jan08, Frank Walker) http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/deadly-chemicals-hidden-in-war-cache/2008/01/19/1200620272396.html
Guinea pig’ sailor set for pay-out after 50 years
“A former sailor from York [England] who claims he was used as a guinea pig in chemical warfare experiments finally looks set to receive compensation - half a century later. Sam Smith says he has suffered from chest problems and watering eyes ever since he took part in research in the 1950s at the Ministry of Defence's chemical research centre at Porton Down, Wiltshire, after being led to believe he was helping to find a cure for the common cold.” (York Press, 21Jan08, Richard harris) http://www.thisisyork.co.uk/display.var.1980827.0.guinea_pig_sailor_set_for_payout_after_50_years.php
Porton Down veteran awaits compensation
“A war veteran who says he was duped into having chemical weapons tested on him is waiting with bated breath to see if he has been granted a slice of £3 million compensation. When former Royal Marine Jim Booth (63) agreed to take part in a two-week medical trial at Porton Down research centre in Wiltshire in the ’60s, he thought he would be trialling medication to treat the common cold. Instead, the Market Deeping man claims, he was subjected to mustard gas and was injected with unknown drugs before being made to take part in tests to assess his reactions.” (Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 18Jan08, Kirsty Nicolson) http://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/news/Porton-Down-veteran-awaits-compensation.3686704.jp
Plan for chemical security is delayed
“Homeland Security officials have delayed a requirement that farmers register with the agency if they have certain amounts of certain chemicals. Farmers and ranchers had been facing a Tuesday deadline to come up with a security plan and register it. ‘Most producers knew nothing about either the requirements or the deadline; most state agriculture departments had not been told of them,’ said North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Roger Johnson, who is president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. Homeland Security, in announcing the delay, said the agency is gathering more information on the issue to see if changes to the requirements are warranted, especially in light of a new law that gives the agency authority to regulate the sale and transfer of ammonium nitrate fertilizer. Johnson said anhydrous ammonia, another popular farm fertilizer in North Dakota, also is included in Homeland Security's list of chemicals. The association Johnson heads brought its worries to Homeland Security, and ‘It appears the problem is at least temporarily resolved,’ he said.” (The Bismark Tribune, 21Jan08, AP) http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/2008/01/21/news/local/147054.txt
N.J. [New Jersey] security chief says state needs boost in federal funding
“New Jersey's mass transit system remains a potential target for a terrorist attack and needs additional federal funding to ensure safe passage for thousands of daily commuters, the state's top security official said yesterday. ‘Anything that happens here has implications for New York City,’ said Richard Cañas, director of the state Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness. ‘Yet every year we feel like deadbeats asking for federal handouts to protect ourselves against what we all agree is a national threat.’ Cañas' remarks came during a visit from U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, which controls how funds are distributed to states. Thompson visited the State Police Regional Operations Intelligence Center in West Trenton before taking a helicopter tour of potential terror targets in North Jersey. Those sites included Newark Liberty International Airport, the Lincoln Tunnel, the chemical facilities and oil refineries along the New Jersey Turnpike and Port Newark.” (The Star-Ledger, 20Jan08, John Holl)
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-9/1200807357158880.xml&coll=1
Students learn to be prepared for crises
“About 20 sophomores donned protective mesh vests, each with a piece of paper attached containing the title of an emergency worker. They gathered around a 20-by-6-foot table with a miniature city displayed on it and played roles. Their job was to evaluate a stream that reportedly had a contaminant in it. […] The students were answering […] questions during a homeland security and emergency preparedness class being piloted at Joppatowne High School [in Maryland] this school year. […] The students take the second part of the program during their junior year, when they select a specialty area of study from one of three topics: homeland security sciences, law enforcement and criminal justice, and information and communications technology. Depending on which area the students select, they study such topics as chemical and biological warfare, research methods, the justice system, law processes, first responders to emergency scenes, and evidence collection and analysis, and even learn how to use a geographic information system.” (Baltimore Sun, 20Jan08, Cassandra A. Fortin) http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/harford/bal-ha.homeland20jan20,0,703936.story
CNS ChemBio-WMD Terrorism News is prepared by the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in order to bring timely and focused information to researchers and policymakers interested in the fields of chemical, biological, and radiological weapons nonproliferation and WMD terrorism.
CNS presents these keywords and links for the convenience of the recipients of ChemBio-WMD Terrorism News, but CNS does not endorse these sites or the veracity of their information and cannot be responsible for the maintenance of the links listed here. For a searchable archive of the CBR-WMD Terrorism News listserv, please visit the Nuclear Threat Initiative's website, at http://www.nti.org/db/cbw/index.htm
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Why We Serve: Deployment Gives Sailor Message to Public
By Sgt. Sara Moore, USA
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 18, 2008 - When Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Ralph Chavez volunteered for a deployment to Afghanistan, he didn't really know what he was getting himself into. It ended up being one of the best experiences of his military career. Chavez, a yeoman, or administrative specialist, decided to volunteer for an individual augmentation deployment in 2006 while stationed in California. He said it was important for him to volunteer because he knew soldiers and Marines who were on their second or third deployments. He felt it was his duty to go.
"I just felt that as a chief, in order for me to lead my sailors by example, I wanted to do my part," Chavez said. "How can I tell my sailors one day that they need to volunteer if I had never done that?"
Chavez went to Afghanistan in February 2006 as part of a four-man civil affairs team supporting the 10th Mountain Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team. Initially, he didn't know what civil affairs was, but four months of training with the Army prepared him. Once Chavez and his team got to Afghanistan's Paktiya province and began working with local leaders and citizens to facilitate reconstruction projects, he was amazed at how fulfilling the mission was.
"Our goal was to try to build the trust in each village that we visited and just improve security. It was very rewarding," Chavez said. "The locals welcomed us into their homes, shared their food, and we got to hear their stories."
Chavez is now touring the country as part of the Defense Department's "Why We Serve" outreach program. The program, now in its sixth iteration, takes servicemembers who have recently deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan and sends them to various community, business and veterans groups to tell their stories.
One message Chavez would like to convey to the American public is that there are many "good news" stories happening in the war on terror, and in Afghanistan, local citizens are very appreciative of the coalition's mission.
"In each case, they always expressed gratitude and appreciation for the Americans being over there, far away from their homes, far away from their families, and helping them," Chavez said of his meetings with Afghans during his deployment. "They knew why we were there, and they appreciated the sacrifices that we made to help them."
The Afghan people also appreciated the sacrifices of the American public, Chavez said, as many of the humanitarian supplies his team distributed were donated from corporations and private citizens. His team helped rebuild water wells and schools, delivered supplies and set up temporary housing and aid after natural disasters.
Chavez, an 18-year Navy veteran, was raised in San Antonio, a city with strong military traditions. He had several relatives who served in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam, and growing up hearing their stories instilled in him a sense of duty, he said.
After high school, Chavez went to college for about three years. Before he enlisted, he was working three jobs, but didn't have a sense of job accomplishment, he said. Also, he was craving adventure and remembered his good experiences in junior Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps and Air Force ROTC.
"I developed an affinity toward the structure and the discipline that the military offered," he said. "So I went to talk to recruiters. I liked what the Navy recruiter had to offer, and 18 years later, I'm still enjoying it."
Chavez has enjoyed the opportunities to move to different commands throughout the Navy and the military's system of rewarding people for good performance. He's also enjoyed the different challenges he's faced during his career and the educational opportunities, such as finishing his bachelor's degree and working on his master's, he said.
Chavez plans to stay in the Navy and is hoping to be selected for a warrant officer program soon. He said he doesn't know if he'll have the chance to deploy again, but he is more than willing. For now, he said, he feels honored to be part of the Why We Serve program and hopes he can bring the American public a different perspective about the war on terror.
"It's not all doom and gloom like they see in the news; there are a lot of success stories out there, and we are helping to change attitudes and perceptions of Americans, one generation at a time," Chavez said. "I think that that's going a long way toward winning the war against terrorism in Afghanistan."
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 18, 2008 - When Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Ralph Chavez volunteered for a deployment to Afghanistan, he didn't really know what he was getting himself into. It ended up being one of the best experiences of his military career. Chavez, a yeoman, or administrative specialist, decided to volunteer for an individual augmentation deployment in 2006 while stationed in California. He said it was important for him to volunteer because he knew soldiers and Marines who were on their second or third deployments. He felt it was his duty to go.
"I just felt that as a chief, in order for me to lead my sailors by example, I wanted to do my part," Chavez said. "How can I tell my sailors one day that they need to volunteer if I had never done that?"
Chavez went to Afghanistan in February 2006 as part of a four-man civil affairs team supporting the 10th Mountain Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team. Initially, he didn't know what civil affairs was, but four months of training with the Army prepared him. Once Chavez and his team got to Afghanistan's Paktiya province and began working with local leaders and citizens to facilitate reconstruction projects, he was amazed at how fulfilling the mission was.
"Our goal was to try to build the trust in each village that we visited and just improve security. It was very rewarding," Chavez said. "The locals welcomed us into their homes, shared their food, and we got to hear their stories."
Chavez is now touring the country as part of the Defense Department's "Why We Serve" outreach program. The program, now in its sixth iteration, takes servicemembers who have recently deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan and sends them to various community, business and veterans groups to tell their stories.
One message Chavez would like to convey to the American public is that there are many "good news" stories happening in the war on terror, and in Afghanistan, local citizens are very appreciative of the coalition's mission.
"In each case, they always expressed gratitude and appreciation for the Americans being over there, far away from their homes, far away from their families, and helping them," Chavez said of his meetings with Afghans during his deployment. "They knew why we were there, and they appreciated the sacrifices that we made to help them."
The Afghan people also appreciated the sacrifices of the American public, Chavez said, as many of the humanitarian supplies his team distributed were donated from corporations and private citizens. His team helped rebuild water wells and schools, delivered supplies and set up temporary housing and aid after natural disasters.
Chavez, an 18-year Navy veteran, was raised in San Antonio, a city with strong military traditions. He had several relatives who served in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam, and growing up hearing their stories instilled in him a sense of duty, he said.
After high school, Chavez went to college for about three years. Before he enlisted, he was working three jobs, but didn't have a sense of job accomplishment, he said. Also, he was craving adventure and remembered his good experiences in junior Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps and Air Force ROTC.
"I developed an affinity toward the structure and the discipline that the military offered," he said. "So I went to talk to recruiters. I liked what the Navy recruiter had to offer, and 18 years later, I'm still enjoying it."
Chavez has enjoyed the opportunities to move to different commands throughout the Navy and the military's system of rewarding people for good performance. He's also enjoyed the different challenges he's faced during his career and the educational opportunities, such as finishing his bachelor's degree and working on his master's, he said.
Chavez plans to stay in the Navy and is hoping to be selected for a warrant officer program soon. He said he doesn't know if he'll have the chance to deploy again, but he is more than willing. For now, he said, he feels honored to be part of the Why We Serve program and hopes he can bring the American public a different perspective about the war on terror.
"It's not all doom and gloom like they see in the news; there are a lot of success stories out there, and we are helping to change attitudes and perceptions of Americans, one generation at a time," Chavez said. "I think that that's going a long way toward winning the war against terrorism in Afghanistan."
Friday, January 18, 2008
America Supports You: Sibling Group Helps Others With Loss
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 18, 2008 - For decades, mothers and wives who lost a loved one in combat had a community of others who faced similar feelings to turn to for support. Today, brothers and sisters of those killed in action have a similar support network.
Karen A. Hickman, of Indiana, founded Gold Star Siblings, Inc., so that siblings of deceased servicemembers had someone to lean on who understands what they're going through. "There has never been an organization just for siblings," she said. "Our goal is to become one voice, to reach out and help the ones trying to deal with such a traumatic loss."
That was something she didn't have when her brother was killed while serving in Vietnam.
"When the funeral took place, I felt like an outsider," Hickman said. "I had to grieve alone and where my parents couldn't see me because I had to be strong for them and my younger brother.
"I have never felt so alone," she added.
Gold Star Siblings grew from those feelings of isolation and Hickman's desire to never let another sibling suffer in silence. And while the members of her organization are not professional counselors, they certainly can understand what many siblings are facing today.
"We are just like (them): confused, angry, sad and always wondering, 'Why him or her, and not me? Why was our world turned upside down?'" she said. "We have been there, and everyday the thought is always with us."
Helping each other through grief, in part, means presenting a Gold Star flag to the oldest sibling, Hickman said. If there are other siblings, they receive Gold Star lapel pins.
If the family requests, Gold Star Sibling members also will stay with them during a servicemember's funeral.
Gold Star Siblings is a new supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
Hickman said she hopes the affiliation will offer her organization exposure and the networking opportunities to let everyone know she and other Gold Star Siblings are there for those who need their help.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 18, 2008 - For decades, mothers and wives who lost a loved one in combat had a community of others who faced similar feelings to turn to for support. Today, brothers and sisters of those killed in action have a similar support network.
Karen A. Hickman, of Indiana, founded Gold Star Siblings, Inc., so that siblings of deceased servicemembers had someone to lean on who understands what they're going through. "There has never been an organization just for siblings," she said. "Our goal is to become one voice, to reach out and help the ones trying to deal with such a traumatic loss."
That was something she didn't have when her brother was killed while serving in Vietnam.
"When the funeral took place, I felt like an outsider," Hickman said. "I had to grieve alone and where my parents couldn't see me because I had to be strong for them and my younger brother.
"I have never felt so alone," she added.
Gold Star Siblings grew from those feelings of isolation and Hickman's desire to never let another sibling suffer in silence. And while the members of her organization are not professional counselors, they certainly can understand what many siblings are facing today.
"We are just like (them): confused, angry, sad and always wondering, 'Why him or her, and not me? Why was our world turned upside down?'" she said. "We have been there, and everyday the thought is always with us."
Helping each other through grief, in part, means presenting a Gold Star flag to the oldest sibling, Hickman said. If there are other siblings, they receive Gold Star lapel pins.
If the family requests, Gold Star Sibling members also will stay with them during a servicemember's funeral.
Gold Star Siblings is a new supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
Hickman said she hopes the affiliation will offer her organization exposure and the networking opportunities to let everyone know she and other Gold Star Siblings are there for those who need their help.
Contracts
NAVY
Radant Technologies, Incorporated, Stow, Mass., is being awarded a $14,114,142 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee provisions for submarine communication antenna radomes and related engineering services. This contract allows for the procurement of up to 20 radomes per year for the five year life of this contract along with the procurement of special tooling needed for the manufacturing of these radomes. This contract includes services for the testing, inspection and evaluation of damaged radomes, engineering services to include studies, upgrades, technical improvements, and life cycle refurbishment. Work will be performed in Stow, Mass., and work is expected to be completed by January 2013. Contract funds in the amount of $177,191 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Newport, R.I., is the contracting activity (N66604-08-D-0660).
L3 Communications, Communication Systems - West, Salt Lake City, Utah, is being awarded a $13,847,222 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract to provide for continued life cycle sustainment of the Deployable Multi-Channel Satellite Communications System. Equipment available under the proposed contract includes quad band satellite terminals, terminal IP upgrades, IP baseband interface modules, Ka band upgrades, critical spares, and replacement components. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $65,758,336. Work will be performed in Salt Lake City, Utah, and work is expected to be completed by January 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The request for proposals was issued directly to L3 Communications, Communication Systems - West. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Charleston, S.C., is the contracting activity (N65236-08-D-5137).
General Dynamics Land Systems, under its operating unit General Dynamics Amphibious Systems, Woodbridge, Va., is being awarded an $11,960,776 modification to previously awarded contract (M67854-05-C-0072) for the advanced procurement of long lead materials for Systems Development and Demonstration (SDD) 2 phase of the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle program. Work will be performed in Michigan (37 percent), Indiana (20 percent), Arizona (13 percent), Maryland (5 percent), Louisiana (3 percent), Florida (2 percent), Mississippi (2 percent), New Jersey (2 percent), New York (2 percent), Ohio (2 percent), and Germany (12 percent), and work is expected to be completed by November 2009. The contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Chemical Specialists and Development, Inc., Conroe, Texas, is being awarded a minimum $11,619,400 fixed price with economic price adjustment, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract for fuel system icing inhibitor. Other locations of performance are Georgia, New Jersey, California, and Washington. Using service is Defense Energy Support Center. The proposals were originally solicited by FBO with 3 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This is a 12 month contract with a 30-day carryover period. Date of performance completion is January 30, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), Fort Belvoir, Va. (SP0600-08-D-0752).
Falcon Fuels Inc., Paramount, Calif., is being awarded a maximum $2,080,350.00 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for regular unleaded gasoline. Other location of performance located in California. Using services are federal civilian agencies. There were originally 28 proposals solicited with 21 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Date of performance completion is August 31, 2009. The contracting activity is the contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), Fort Belvoir, Va. (SP0600-05-D-4526).
AIR FORCE
ITT Industries, Systems Division of Cape Canaveral, Fla. is being awarded a contract modification for $6,792,630. This action will provide spares and interim supply for the Space Lift Range Systems contract. It addresses the continued wholesale supply sustainment for previously fielded spares following the tenants of interim supply support. The project also provides additional initial spares procurement, initial spares fielding, and interim supply support sustainment in support of Prime Mission Equipment projected to be field by the Space Lift Range Systems contract. At this time all funds have been obligated. SMC SLG/PK, Peterson Air Force Base, is the contracting activity (F04701-01-C-0001, P00465).
International Business Machines Corporation of N.Y. is being awarded a contract option for $6,375,674. The objective of the Sub-threshold-slope Transistors for electronics with extremely-low power program is to develop, novel transistor technologies that will enable high-performance logic circuits with extremely low power consumption. This program will develop transistors based on on-thermionic switching that will result in extremely low power consumption. At this time $4,462,051 has been obligated. Det 1 AFRL/PKDA, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-08-C-7806).
ARMY
Kidde Technologies, Inc., Goleta, Calif., was awarded on Jan. 16, 2008, a $5,715,150 firm-fixed-price contract for Stryker tire fire suppression kits. Work will be performed in Goleta, Calif., and is expected to be completed by July 31, 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One bid was solicited on Oct. 1, 2007, and one bid was received. The Tank Automotive and Armaments Command, is the contracting activity W56HZV-08-C-B001.
Army Aims to Better Identify Soldiers with Brain Injuries
By C. Todd Lopez
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 18, 2008 - An Army report released yesterday outlines how the service can better identify and help soldiers who have suffered traumatic brain injuries. The report contains some 47 recommendations to help the Army better prevent, screen, diagnose, treat and research traumatic brain injury, said Brig. Gen. Donald Bradshaw, who led the task force charged with investigating TBI. Bradshaw is commander of Southeast Regional Medical Command and Eisenhower Regional Medical Center, at Fort Gordon, Ga.
"Our report indicates that, like our civilian counterparts, the Army has done well in the identifying and treatment of severe or penetrating traumatic brain injury, but is challenged to understand, diagnose and treat personnel who have suffered short-term or persistent symptoms of mild TBI," he said. "The task force identified opportunities for improvement as well as best-practice guidelines."
The general said 80 percent of those who suffer from mild TBI, commonly known as a concussion, recover completely. Some 10 to 20 percent of soldiers and Marines returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with experience in combat may have suffered symptoms consistent with mild TBI.
Today, eight of the recommendations made by the task force have already been implemented, said Col. Judith Ruiz, deputy director for rehabilitation and reintegration with the Office of the Surgeon General.
"We have made significant progress to take care of soldiers and to standardize practices across the Army medical department," she said.
Some of the recommendations that have already been implemented include:
-- Working with interagency and civilian groups to better define TBI;
-- Implementing in-theater TBI screening and documentation for all soldiers exposed to brain injury-inducing trauma;
-- Adding TBI-specific questions to deployment-related health assessments;
-- Developing a proposal on the appropriate functions of a "TBI center of excellence";
-- Proposing the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center as the core of the new center of excellence;
-- Optimizing the positioning of clinical, educational and research activities;
-- Centralizing the evaluation of the scientific merit, clinical utility, and priority of new treatment strategies, devices or interventions; and
-- Adapting the Military Acute Concussion Evaluation overprint as an approved Department of the Army form to document mild TBI closest to the point of injury.
Ruiz said 31 additional recommendations are in progress, four are planned, and four are in the process of being transferred to other agencies.
For soldiers in theater, the most common cause of brain injury is a blast, such as from an improvised explosive device. But sometimes such blasts do not cause visible external injuries.
"Brain injury does not have to have outside symptoms, such as bleeding," Bradshaw said. "It may, but doesn't have to. That is one of the compounding things; folks may look totally normal, but be dazed."
Because some victims of IEDs or other blasts do not have external injures, they may feel they have not been injured at all -- even if they did sustain a mild TBI.
"It's hard to identify TBI when soldiers don't come forward and don't identify," Bradshaw said. "Some of the actions that have been taken (include) a very big ongoing education process for leaders, soldiers and family members."
The Army launched the post-traumatic stress disorder/mild traumatic brain injury chain teaching program in 2007 to help soldiers better identify signs and symptoms of these conditions and to reinforce the collective responsibility to take care of each other.
The Army is also working to educate the civilian medical community about mild TBI so that soldiers in the reserve components, who may not have full-time access to military medical care, also can be identified, said Col. (Dr.) Jonathan Jaffin, deputy commander of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command.
"One of the things we are concerned with and ... one of the points behind the whole chain teaching was trying to get the message out to the country, not just the active-duty force, Guard and reserve," he said. "(We wanted) the country, including providers throughout the country, to be aware of mild TBI and concussions and the long-term symptoms that some people may be having."
Bradshaw said Army leaders at all levels are committed to the good health and well-being of all soldiers and are proactively addressing the issue of TBI. "Continued research in this area can only help us more clearly understand the medical impacts of the war and the best ways to prevent, recognize and treat soldiers with TBI," he said.
(C. Todd Lopez works for the Army News Service.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 18, 2008 - An Army report released yesterday outlines how the service can better identify and help soldiers who have suffered traumatic brain injuries. The report contains some 47 recommendations to help the Army better prevent, screen, diagnose, treat and research traumatic brain injury, said Brig. Gen. Donald Bradshaw, who led the task force charged with investigating TBI. Bradshaw is commander of Southeast Regional Medical Command and Eisenhower Regional Medical Center, at Fort Gordon, Ga.
"Our report indicates that, like our civilian counterparts, the Army has done well in the identifying and treatment of severe or penetrating traumatic brain injury, but is challenged to understand, diagnose and treat personnel who have suffered short-term or persistent symptoms of mild TBI," he said. "The task force identified opportunities for improvement as well as best-practice guidelines."
The general said 80 percent of those who suffer from mild TBI, commonly known as a concussion, recover completely. Some 10 to 20 percent of soldiers and Marines returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with experience in combat may have suffered symptoms consistent with mild TBI.
Today, eight of the recommendations made by the task force have already been implemented, said Col. Judith Ruiz, deputy director for rehabilitation and reintegration with the Office of the Surgeon General.
"We have made significant progress to take care of soldiers and to standardize practices across the Army medical department," she said.
Some of the recommendations that have already been implemented include:
-- Working with interagency and civilian groups to better define TBI;
-- Implementing in-theater TBI screening and documentation for all soldiers exposed to brain injury-inducing trauma;
-- Adding TBI-specific questions to deployment-related health assessments;
-- Developing a proposal on the appropriate functions of a "TBI center of excellence";
-- Proposing the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center as the core of the new center of excellence;
-- Optimizing the positioning of clinical, educational and research activities;
-- Centralizing the evaluation of the scientific merit, clinical utility, and priority of new treatment strategies, devices or interventions; and
-- Adapting the Military Acute Concussion Evaluation overprint as an approved Department of the Army form to document mild TBI closest to the point of injury.
Ruiz said 31 additional recommendations are in progress, four are planned, and four are in the process of being transferred to other agencies.
For soldiers in theater, the most common cause of brain injury is a blast, such as from an improvised explosive device. But sometimes such blasts do not cause visible external injuries.
"Brain injury does not have to have outside symptoms, such as bleeding," Bradshaw said. "It may, but doesn't have to. That is one of the compounding things; folks may look totally normal, but be dazed."
Because some victims of IEDs or other blasts do not have external injures, they may feel they have not been injured at all -- even if they did sustain a mild TBI.
"It's hard to identify TBI when soldiers don't come forward and don't identify," Bradshaw said. "Some of the actions that have been taken (include) a very big ongoing education process for leaders, soldiers and family members."
The Army launched the post-traumatic stress disorder/mild traumatic brain injury chain teaching program in 2007 to help soldiers better identify signs and symptoms of these conditions and to reinforce the collective responsibility to take care of each other.
The Army is also working to educate the civilian medical community about mild TBI so that soldiers in the reserve components, who may not have full-time access to military medical care, also can be identified, said Col. (Dr.) Jonathan Jaffin, deputy commander of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command.
"One of the things we are concerned with and ... one of the points behind the whole chain teaching was trying to get the message out to the country, not just the active-duty force, Guard and reserve," he said. "(We wanted) the country, including providers throughout the country, to be aware of mild TBI and concussions and the long-term symptoms that some people may be having."
Bradshaw said Army leaders at all levels are committed to the good health and well-being of all soldiers and are proactively addressing the issue of TBI. "Continued research in this area can only help us more clearly understand the medical impacts of the war and the best ways to prevent, recognize and treat soldiers with TBI," he said.
(C. Todd Lopez works for the Army News Service.)
Aviation Support Soldiers Keep Helicopters Flying in Iraq
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 18, 2008 - When Command Sgt. Maj. Keith C. Dawson sees a formation of Army helicopters pass overhead in Baghdad, he knows it is likely that some of his soldiers are working to keep those aircraft aloft. After AH-64 Apache, UH-60 Blackhawk or CH-47 Chinook helicopters sustain battle damage or are submitted for routine maintenance, 603rd Aviation Support Battalion mechanics "turn those repairs around quickly to get those aircraft back into the fight," Dawson said today from Iraq during a telephone interview.
Dawson is the 603rd's senior noncommissioned officer. The battalion is a component of the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division's Combat Aviation Brigade posted at Baghdad International Airport. Dawson and his combat support troops deployed to Iraq in May 2007 as part of the "surge" of troops design to disrupt insurgent activity.
Other soldiers in Dawson's supply and service battalion fix or drive trucks laden with fuel, food, ammunition, parts and other supplies, stock and administer warehouses, cook food, and provide medical treatment, calibration and other services, he said.
These soldiers' jobs are just as important as the work performed by the rotary-wing mechanics, Dawson pointed out, noting the Army depends upon its logistics system in order to be able to function. Since their arrival in Baghdad in May, Dawson said his soldiers have performed about 115 extensive helicopter inspections.
The rotary-wing mechanics also have completed more than 5,300 work orders of different types, he said.
"Of course, some of that (work) does include the battle-damage repair," he noted.
Dawson said his soldiers have pumped more than 5 million gallons of aviation fuel and handled more than 818 tons of ammunition.
"And, my transportation people have already logged over 37,000 miles" during fuel- and parts-delivery runs since May, Dawson said. The 603rd's supply-parts warehouse has handled more than 92,000 supply-request orders, he added.
Dawson said his support soldiers sometimes feel forgotten amid copious news reports highlighting the actions of infantry soldiers fighting and chasing al Qaeda and other insurgents across the Iraqi landscape.
Infantry soldiers deserve all the publicity they get, Dawson pointed out. Yet, he noted, "It takes my folks to maintain those Apaches to keep that air cover overhead" for the infantry.
Morale in the 603rd is good, Dawson said, noting the unit's reenlistment rate is running between 75 to 85 percent. About 15 soldiers, he said, are waiting to reenlist.
Many junior enlisted soldiers in his unit have performed previous tours of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan, noted Dawson, who is himself a 26-year Army veteran.
"We have (privates first class) and very young specialists who came to this deployment with a combat patch," Dawson pointed out.
Some junior enlisted soldiers and younger NCOs in his unit are mulling leaving the Army, Dawson said, citing their stated desire to start a family without the distraction of deployments.
Dawson said he tells his soldiers the Army offers a good, solid career with a generous retirement package.
Staying Army provides other important benefits, the command sergeant major pointed out.
"If they do get out and they go to work in some civilian organization, although they may very well like their job, they will never feel a bond to coworkers as they do here in the military," Dawson explained. "They'll never get this kind of a 'connection' in any other job that they choose to do."
Jan. 18, 2008 - When Command Sgt. Maj. Keith C. Dawson sees a formation of Army helicopters pass overhead in Baghdad, he knows it is likely that some of his soldiers are working to keep those aircraft aloft. After AH-64 Apache, UH-60 Blackhawk or CH-47 Chinook helicopters sustain battle damage or are submitted for routine maintenance, 603rd Aviation Support Battalion mechanics "turn those repairs around quickly to get those aircraft back into the fight," Dawson said today from Iraq during a telephone interview.
Dawson is the 603rd's senior noncommissioned officer. The battalion is a component of the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division's Combat Aviation Brigade posted at Baghdad International Airport. Dawson and his combat support troops deployed to Iraq in May 2007 as part of the "surge" of troops design to disrupt insurgent activity.
Other soldiers in Dawson's supply and service battalion fix or drive trucks laden with fuel, food, ammunition, parts and other supplies, stock and administer warehouses, cook food, and provide medical treatment, calibration and other services, he said.
These soldiers' jobs are just as important as the work performed by the rotary-wing mechanics, Dawson pointed out, noting the Army depends upon its logistics system in order to be able to function. Since their arrival in Baghdad in May, Dawson said his soldiers have performed about 115 extensive helicopter inspections.
The rotary-wing mechanics also have completed more than 5,300 work orders of different types, he said.
"Of course, some of that (work) does include the battle-damage repair," he noted.
Dawson said his soldiers have pumped more than 5 million gallons of aviation fuel and handled more than 818 tons of ammunition.
"And, my transportation people have already logged over 37,000 miles" during fuel- and parts-delivery runs since May, Dawson said. The 603rd's supply-parts warehouse has handled more than 92,000 supply-request orders, he added.
Dawson said his support soldiers sometimes feel forgotten amid copious news reports highlighting the actions of infantry soldiers fighting and chasing al Qaeda and other insurgents across the Iraqi landscape.
Infantry soldiers deserve all the publicity they get, Dawson pointed out. Yet, he noted, "It takes my folks to maintain those Apaches to keep that air cover overhead" for the infantry.
Morale in the 603rd is good, Dawson said, noting the unit's reenlistment rate is running between 75 to 85 percent. About 15 soldiers, he said, are waiting to reenlist.
Many junior enlisted soldiers in his unit have performed previous tours of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan, noted Dawson, who is himself a 26-year Army veteran.
"We have (privates first class) and very young specialists who came to this deployment with a combat patch," Dawson pointed out.
Some junior enlisted soldiers and younger NCOs in his unit are mulling leaving the Army, Dawson said, citing their stated desire to start a family without the distraction of deployments.
Dawson said he tells his soldiers the Army offers a good, solid career with a generous retirement package.
Staying Army provides other important benefits, the command sergeant major pointed out.
"If they do get out and they go to work in some civilian organization, although they may very well like their job, they will never feel a bond to coworkers as they do here in the military," Dawson explained. "They'll never get this kind of a 'connection' in any other job that they choose to do."
Dedication Runs High at MRAP Equipping Facility
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 18, 2008 - Just before rolling the mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle they've spent the last several hours configuring with electronics for shipment to Iraq or Afghanistan, crews at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command here slip a simple 8-and-a-half-by-11-inch certificate onto the dashboard. "The SPAWAR Charleston MRAP Team has integrated the electronics capabilities on this MRAP with care and pride," the certificate reads. "We have done our job so you can do yours. Our goal is your safe tour of duty and return home."
Beneath the words are some 40 signatures of the people -- about half of them veterans themselves -- who had a hand in installing radios, sensors, jammers and other government-issued equipment into the vehicles.
It's the final step before the vehicles, with their distinctive V-shaped hulls and beefy profile, get loaded onto aircraft or ships and sent to combat troops whose lives they're designed to help save from improvised explosive devices and other underbelly blasts.
"I get tingles when I see it," said Barbara Holliway, whose job is to improve efficiency in the operation by outfitting the MRAPs with sensitive gear that makes them combat-ready.
"A lot of people here are veterans themselves or have relatives in Iraq, so putting their names on that piece of paper means a lot to them," she said. "It's a thumbprint that we stand behind our equipment. It's a warranty. It says that the person signing it stands behind their work and feels a personal connection to the people who are going to rely on it."
Holliway isn't unique to the sprawling Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command facility here at the old Charleston Naval Base. The once-vacant warehouse building hums with activity 24-7 as workers pull 10-hour shifts in the rush to keep up with demand for the MRAPs.
As quickly as the vehicles roll off the assembly lines at four major production facilities, they roll into this riverfront facility. Crews crawl in, on and around them over the course of the next several hours, readying them for deployment.
The facility reached its goal of equipping 50 MRAPs a day on Dec. 5 and is now up to 62, with hopes of becoming even more efficient, said Joe Rodgers, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command branch chief for Marine Corps Expeditionary Systems who served 30 years in the Navy.
A full "integration," as the staff calls it, takes five to 10 hours, depending on the particular model. "Some trucks are more difficult than others, but regardless of which one it is, the work we do here is pretty doggone fast," said Jim Thigpen, a retired Marine Corps colonel and vice president for the contractor that provides most of the workforce here.
Brian Burger, a former Marine corporal who's been chief engineer here for the past three years, is credited with coming up with the prototypes required to outfit MRAPs with gear that ,initially, was destined for up-armored Humvees.
"Our job is to figure out a way to get everything in (it) in a way that works, that's ergonomic and that's field-friendly," he said. "We make sure that everything doesn't just fit, but that it works."
As a Marine sniper, Burger has an appreciation of the conditions the MRAPs will operate under, and he's incorporated that know-how into his design prototypes. "I wear two hats here, one as an engineer and one as a Marine," he said. "I know what gets broken and how hard they are on things, so I make them tougher and able to withstand the rigors."
One of the big challenges, Burger said, is that there's no single MRAP design to work with. Several manufacturers churn out a wide range of vehicle variants and continually improve on their products. So, installing C4I gear -- command, control, communications, computers and intelligence equipment – requires constant adaptation.
"(Manufacturers) can move one little thing on the vehicle, and it means we have to make rapid decisions on the line to keep them moving," he said.
Manufacturers aren't the only ones making changes. The crews here get feedback from the field, and respond as quickly as possible. "It can be as simple as moving a cable so somebody doesn't trip," said Thigpen.
"This definitely isn't one-size-fits-all where there's one standard way of doing things that everybody follows," said Thigpen. "General Motors couldn't do what we do here running its production lines. For them, when you change horses, it's a major evolution. We change horses 50 times a day."
Throughout the factory floor, there's an appreciation of the importance of the work under way. A large banner stretched out where they enter the building each day reminds them: "Your work is directly supporting the war on terror."
"People here know, deep down, the kind of vehicle we're working on," Burger said. "They know they are the last stop before it gets to Iraq."
"This is a very energetic workforce," said Rodgers. "Well into the neighborhood of 54 percent of them are veterans, so the people working the floor here know their brothers are fighting the war. I can't think of a better motivator."
Christopher Collins, a retired Marine staff sergeant, oversees a section that works nonstop equipping six MRAPs at a time on three different production lines. "This is a team effort," he said. "It's like a Band of Brothers. We work together, learn each other's habits. It's just like a platoon.
"We put in long hours and the demand is high, but there's a lot of dedication and commitment and pride here. You feel it in this building," he said. "We all understand the cost of freedom and that we have to stay focused on the main issue: our men and women in uniform."
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates visited the facility today to see progress being made and to thank the people working behind the scenes to bring it about. In addition to his own appreciation, the secretary offered that of "countless moms and dads, husbands and wives and sons and daughters of U.S. troops deployed abroad."
"I don't think it will surprise you to hear me say you must keep pressing on," Gates told the workers. "The need for these vehicles will not soon go away," he said.
"So keep raising your sights. Keep these vehicles rolling off the line," he said. "Your efforts are saving lives."
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 18, 2008 - Just before rolling the mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle they've spent the last several hours configuring with electronics for shipment to Iraq or Afghanistan, crews at the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command here slip a simple 8-and-a-half-by-11-inch certificate onto the dashboard. "The SPAWAR Charleston MRAP Team has integrated the electronics capabilities on this MRAP with care and pride," the certificate reads. "We have done our job so you can do yours. Our goal is your safe tour of duty and return home."
Beneath the words are some 40 signatures of the people -- about half of them veterans themselves -- who had a hand in installing radios, sensors, jammers and other government-issued equipment into the vehicles.
It's the final step before the vehicles, with their distinctive V-shaped hulls and beefy profile, get loaded onto aircraft or ships and sent to combat troops whose lives they're designed to help save from improvised explosive devices and other underbelly blasts.
"I get tingles when I see it," said Barbara Holliway, whose job is to improve efficiency in the operation by outfitting the MRAPs with sensitive gear that makes them combat-ready.
"A lot of people here are veterans themselves or have relatives in Iraq, so putting their names on that piece of paper means a lot to them," she said. "It's a thumbprint that we stand behind our equipment. It's a warranty. It says that the person signing it stands behind their work and feels a personal connection to the people who are going to rely on it."
Holliway isn't unique to the sprawling Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command facility here at the old Charleston Naval Base. The once-vacant warehouse building hums with activity 24-7 as workers pull 10-hour shifts in the rush to keep up with demand for the MRAPs.
As quickly as the vehicles roll off the assembly lines at four major production facilities, they roll into this riverfront facility. Crews crawl in, on and around them over the course of the next several hours, readying them for deployment.
The facility reached its goal of equipping 50 MRAPs a day on Dec. 5 and is now up to 62, with hopes of becoming even more efficient, said Joe Rodgers, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command branch chief for Marine Corps Expeditionary Systems who served 30 years in the Navy.
A full "integration," as the staff calls it, takes five to 10 hours, depending on the particular model. "Some trucks are more difficult than others, but regardless of which one it is, the work we do here is pretty doggone fast," said Jim Thigpen, a retired Marine Corps colonel and vice president for the contractor that provides most of the workforce here.
Brian Burger, a former Marine corporal who's been chief engineer here for the past three years, is credited with coming up with the prototypes required to outfit MRAPs with gear that ,initially, was destined for up-armored Humvees.
"Our job is to figure out a way to get everything in (it) in a way that works, that's ergonomic and that's field-friendly," he said. "We make sure that everything doesn't just fit, but that it works."
As a Marine sniper, Burger has an appreciation of the conditions the MRAPs will operate under, and he's incorporated that know-how into his design prototypes. "I wear two hats here, one as an engineer and one as a Marine," he said. "I know what gets broken and how hard they are on things, so I make them tougher and able to withstand the rigors."
One of the big challenges, Burger said, is that there's no single MRAP design to work with. Several manufacturers churn out a wide range of vehicle variants and continually improve on their products. So, installing C4I gear -- command, control, communications, computers and intelligence equipment – requires constant adaptation.
"(Manufacturers) can move one little thing on the vehicle, and it means we have to make rapid decisions on the line to keep them moving," he said.
Manufacturers aren't the only ones making changes. The crews here get feedback from the field, and respond as quickly as possible. "It can be as simple as moving a cable so somebody doesn't trip," said Thigpen.
"This definitely isn't one-size-fits-all where there's one standard way of doing things that everybody follows," said Thigpen. "General Motors couldn't do what we do here running its production lines. For them, when you change horses, it's a major evolution. We change horses 50 times a day."
Throughout the factory floor, there's an appreciation of the importance of the work under way. A large banner stretched out where they enter the building each day reminds them: "Your work is directly supporting the war on terror."
"People here know, deep down, the kind of vehicle we're working on," Burger said. "They know they are the last stop before it gets to Iraq."
"This is a very energetic workforce," said Rodgers. "Well into the neighborhood of 54 percent of them are veterans, so the people working the floor here know their brothers are fighting the war. I can't think of a better motivator."
Christopher Collins, a retired Marine staff sergeant, oversees a section that works nonstop equipping six MRAPs at a time on three different production lines. "This is a team effort," he said. "It's like a Band of Brothers. We work together, learn each other's habits. It's just like a platoon.
"We put in long hours and the demand is high, but there's a lot of dedication and commitment and pride here. You feel it in this building," he said. "We all understand the cost of freedom and that we have to stay focused on the main issue: our men and women in uniform."
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates visited the facility today to see progress being made and to thank the people working behind the scenes to bring it about. In addition to his own appreciation, the secretary offered that of "countless moms and dads, husbands and wives and sons and daughters of U.S. troops deployed abroad."
"I don't think it will surprise you to hear me say you must keep pressing on," Gates told the workers. "The need for these vehicles will not soon go away," he said.
"So keep raising your sights. Keep these vehicles rolling off the line," he said. "Your efforts are saving lives."
Military Absentee Voting 'Primary' Concern for Federal Voting Assistance Program
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 18, 2008 - For the Federal Voting Assistance Program, getting deployed troops and their families engaged in the current election season is a primary goal. Ahead of the November general election, FVAP, which fosters voting participation by uniformed and U.S. citizens abroad, is assisting eligible absentee voters who wish to cast ballots in their states' primary election.
"It's important that voters participate in the upcoming primary elections," said Polli Brunelli, the program's chief. "We have over 20 primaries occurring in February, so now is the time, if you've received your ballot, to vote and get it back by the state deadlines."
During an interview yesterday, Brunelli said registering to vote is a simple process. "Absentee voters fill out a federal postcard application form to request a ballot, send it into their local election official where the voter is legally authorized to vote," she said. The ballot will be sent to the voter, who then votes on the ballot and sends it back to the local election office.
Paper copies of the application form are available at military installations, embassies and consulates and from organizations of overseas citizens. Electronic forms are posted online at the Federal Voting Assistance Program Web site, www.fvap.gov/pubs/onlinefwab.html.
Citizens using this form should vote and submit it immediately using regular mail or, where allowed by state law, by fax or e-mail, to their local election officials. The FVAP's Integrated Voting Alternative Site at www.fvap.gov/ivas/fvap_state_menu.html shows citizens if fax or e-mail alternatives are permitted in their home state.
Voting assistance officers are stationed at military installations abroad to help FVAP implement its program initiatives. Equipped with state-by-state voting assistance guides, the officers are available to assist servicemembers in navigating the registration process and election procedures, and inform voters of relevant deadlines, Brunelli noted.
FVAP carries out the responsibilities of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, which protects the voting rights of active-duty military members, Merchant Marines, eligible family members and citizens residing outside the United States.
Members of the U.S. armed forces traditionally represent an active component of overall voting-age Americans. The total voting participation rate among servicemembers was 79 percent in 2004, compared to the 64 percent rate of the general public, according to figures published by FVAP.
In a memorandum to military secretaries and top commanders sent Nov. 26, 2007, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates underscored the importance of extending voting rights to servicemembers at home and abroad.
"With the calendar of primary elections beginning early and stretching through September, 2008," Gates said, "it is important that the department and the services be prepared to carry out the voting assistance mission to inform and educate U.S. citizens of the right to vote, foster voting participation, and protect the integrity of the electoral process.
"Voting is a both a right and a responsibility of citizens in our country," Gates continued. "(Leaders of the armed services must) do everything we can to encourage participation and ensure that our servicemembers and families are able to exercise their right to vote and have that vote counted."
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 18, 2008 - For the Federal Voting Assistance Program, getting deployed troops and their families engaged in the current election season is a primary goal. Ahead of the November general election, FVAP, which fosters voting participation by uniformed and U.S. citizens abroad, is assisting eligible absentee voters who wish to cast ballots in their states' primary election.
"It's important that voters participate in the upcoming primary elections," said Polli Brunelli, the program's chief. "We have over 20 primaries occurring in February, so now is the time, if you've received your ballot, to vote and get it back by the state deadlines."
During an interview yesterday, Brunelli said registering to vote is a simple process. "Absentee voters fill out a federal postcard application form to request a ballot, send it into their local election official where the voter is legally authorized to vote," she said. The ballot will be sent to the voter, who then votes on the ballot and sends it back to the local election office.
Paper copies of the application form are available at military installations, embassies and consulates and from organizations of overseas citizens. Electronic forms are posted online at the Federal Voting Assistance Program Web site, www.fvap.gov/pubs/onlinefwab.html.
Citizens using this form should vote and submit it immediately using regular mail or, where allowed by state law, by fax or e-mail, to their local election officials. The FVAP's Integrated Voting Alternative Site at www.fvap.gov/ivas/fvap_state_menu.html shows citizens if fax or e-mail alternatives are permitted in their home state.
Voting assistance officers are stationed at military installations abroad to help FVAP implement its program initiatives. Equipped with state-by-state voting assistance guides, the officers are available to assist servicemembers in navigating the registration process and election procedures, and inform voters of relevant deadlines, Brunelli noted.
FVAP carries out the responsibilities of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, which protects the voting rights of active-duty military members, Merchant Marines, eligible family members and citizens residing outside the United States.
Members of the U.S. armed forces traditionally represent an active component of overall voting-age Americans. The total voting participation rate among servicemembers was 79 percent in 2004, compared to the 64 percent rate of the general public, according to figures published by FVAP.
In a memorandum to military secretaries and top commanders sent Nov. 26, 2007, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates underscored the importance of extending voting rights to servicemembers at home and abroad.
"With the calendar of primary elections beginning early and stretching through September, 2008," Gates said, "it is important that the department and the services be prepared to carry out the voting assistance mission to inform and educate U.S. citizens of the right to vote, foster voting participation, and protect the integrity of the electoral process.
"Voting is a both a right and a responsibility of citizens in our country," Gates continued. "(Leaders of the armed services must) do everything we can to encourage participation and ensure that our servicemembers and families are able to exercise their right to vote and have that vote counted."
Soldiers Re-enlist to Commemorate 100th Army Reserve Anniversary
By Master Sgt. Anthony Martinez, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 18, 2008 - More than 100 mobilized Army Reserve soldiers deployed in Iraq and Kuwait raised their right hands and recited the oath of enlistment in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Army Reserve, in a ceremony here today. In the grand rotunda of Al Faw Palace here, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, issued the oath of enlistment and remarked on the continued commitment Army Reserve soldiers make in reenlisting.
"In places like Iraq, Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, the Philippines and Latin America, Army reservists are bringing their warrior skills and their civilian trades to the fight," Petraeus said.
"As everyone here knows," Petraeus told the citizen-soldiers, "that combination is particularly effective in the exceedingly complex environments we face today -- environments that require our troopers to be not just warriors but also diplomats, builders, trainers, advisors, intelligence gatherers, service providers, economic developers and mediators."
"Citizen-soldiers perform these diverse roles expertly, and in so doing, they demonstrate the critical role members of the Army Reserve play in safeguarding freedom at home and defending it abroad," the general added.
"Indeed, I cannot think of a better way to honor the Army Reserve's first century of service than being part of a ceremony where so many great reservists raise their right hands and commit themselves to continue serving our nation," Petraeus said.
During the ceremony, Army Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz, chief of Army Reserve Command, commented on the transformation of the Army Reserve over the past 100 years.
"The Army Reserve was founded in 1908, but I can tell you that the Army Reserve of 2008 is vastly different than the Army Reserve of 1908," Stultz said.
"The Army Reserve today really is an operational force, an integrated part of the Army," Stultz added. "And there's no better way for us to kick off our 100th anniversary year and to symbolize what the Army Reserve today really is than to be able to conduct a re-enlistment ceremony here in Baghdad in the palace with 100 of our Army Reserve soldiers."
For many of the soldiers here today, the opportunity to participate was about more than just re-enlisting for themselves. It was a way to honor the service of those who came before them.
"I'm just one soldier, just one average 'joe,'" said Sgt. Jonathan Britt, a 25-year-old medic from Fayetteville, N.C., mobilized with 535th Military Police Battalion.
"I've only been in for two years, so for 98 years there were people upholding these traditions, and that's one of the reasons for me to re-enlist, to uphold the tradition, honor and integrity behind that -- not for my own personal sake but for those that served before me," Britt said.
Soldiers selected to participate in the commemorative ceremony are a sampling of the more than 1,876 Army Reserve soldiers who have reenlisted over the past 12 months while deployed in Iraq and Kuwait, according to the Army Reserve Retention and Transition Office here. Army Reserve re-enlistments in Iraq and Kuwait reflect approximately 20 percent of all re-enlistments for the Army Reserve worldwide, officials said.
(Army Master Sgt. Anthony Martinez is assigned to the U.S. Army Reserve Command.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 18, 2008 - More than 100 mobilized Army Reserve soldiers deployed in Iraq and Kuwait raised their right hands and recited the oath of enlistment in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Army Reserve, in a ceremony here today. In the grand rotunda of Al Faw Palace here, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, issued the oath of enlistment and remarked on the continued commitment Army Reserve soldiers make in reenlisting.
"In places like Iraq, Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, the Philippines and Latin America, Army reservists are bringing their warrior skills and their civilian trades to the fight," Petraeus said.
"As everyone here knows," Petraeus told the citizen-soldiers, "that combination is particularly effective in the exceedingly complex environments we face today -- environments that require our troopers to be not just warriors but also diplomats, builders, trainers, advisors, intelligence gatherers, service providers, economic developers and mediators."
"Citizen-soldiers perform these diverse roles expertly, and in so doing, they demonstrate the critical role members of the Army Reserve play in safeguarding freedom at home and defending it abroad," the general added.
"Indeed, I cannot think of a better way to honor the Army Reserve's first century of service than being part of a ceremony where so many great reservists raise their right hands and commit themselves to continue serving our nation," Petraeus said.
During the ceremony, Army Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz, chief of Army Reserve Command, commented on the transformation of the Army Reserve over the past 100 years.
"The Army Reserve was founded in 1908, but I can tell you that the Army Reserve of 2008 is vastly different than the Army Reserve of 1908," Stultz said.
"The Army Reserve today really is an operational force, an integrated part of the Army," Stultz added. "And there's no better way for us to kick off our 100th anniversary year and to symbolize what the Army Reserve today really is than to be able to conduct a re-enlistment ceremony here in Baghdad in the palace with 100 of our Army Reserve soldiers."
For many of the soldiers here today, the opportunity to participate was about more than just re-enlisting for themselves. It was a way to honor the service of those who came before them.
"I'm just one soldier, just one average 'joe,'" said Sgt. Jonathan Britt, a 25-year-old medic from Fayetteville, N.C., mobilized with 535th Military Police Battalion.
"I've only been in for two years, so for 98 years there were people upholding these traditions, and that's one of the reasons for me to re-enlist, to uphold the tradition, honor and integrity behind that -- not for my own personal sake but for those that served before me," Britt said.
Soldiers selected to participate in the commemorative ceremony are a sampling of the more than 1,876 Army Reserve soldiers who have reenlisted over the past 12 months while deployed in Iraq and Kuwait, according to the Army Reserve Retention and Transition Office here. Army Reserve re-enlistments in Iraq and Kuwait reflect approximately 20 percent of all re-enlistments for the Army Reserve worldwide, officials said.
(Army Master Sgt. Anthony Martinez is assigned to the U.S. Army Reserve Command.)
America Supports You: Partnership Remembers Troops at Valentine's Day
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 17, 2008 - Troops serving in Iraq this February will see a little Valentine love from the states thanks to a partnership between a troop-support group and a regional video store. On Jan. 15, 25 Family Video stores in the Central Illinois area began collecting DVDs and Valentines for the troops, said Eric Schuller, president of Operation Homefront's Illinois chapter. The effort is part of the "Send a Soldier a Movie and a Valentine" campaign, which will end January 29.
Operation Homefront is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
"By sending this small gesture of a movie and a Valentine you are showing the men and women in the military that we care for them and what they are doing for us on a daily basis," Schuller said.
Family Video also is providing a card for the Valentine message as well as a $2 discount on any DVD patrons purchase in the store for the program.
Just after the program kicked off, the video chain announced it would match DVD donations one-for-one, Schuller said.
"If we collect 5,000, they'll donate another 5,000," he said. "That's huge."
Raelene Ohanesian, Family Video's director of sales and marketing, said the company is proud to team with Operation Homefront on this project. "Family Video has had a long-standing commitment in supporting the men and women who ensure our freedoms," she added.
For more information on participating in "Send a Soldier a Movie and a Valentine," please visit the Web site of Operation Homefront's Illinois chapter.
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 17, 2008 - Troops serving in Iraq this February will see a little Valentine love from the states thanks to a partnership between a troop-support group and a regional video store. On Jan. 15, 25 Family Video stores in the Central Illinois area began collecting DVDs and Valentines for the troops, said Eric Schuller, president of Operation Homefront's Illinois chapter. The effort is part of the "Send a Soldier a Movie and a Valentine" campaign, which will end January 29.
Operation Homefront is a supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
"By sending this small gesture of a movie and a Valentine you are showing the men and women in the military that we care for them and what they are doing for us on a daily basis," Schuller said.
Family Video also is providing a card for the Valentine message as well as a $2 discount on any DVD patrons purchase in the store for the program.
Just after the program kicked off, the video chain announced it would match DVD donations one-for-one, Schuller said.
"If we collect 5,000, they'll donate another 5,000," he said. "That's huge."
Raelene Ohanesian, Family Video's director of sales and marketing, said the company is proud to team with Operation Homefront on this project. "Family Video has had a long-standing commitment in supporting the men and women who ensure our freedoms," she added.
For more information on participating in "Send a Soldier a Movie and a Valentine," please visit the Web site of Operation Homefront's Illinois chapter.
Troops, Civilian Employees Must Follow Rules for Political Activities
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 17, 2008 - As U.S. servicemembers and Defense Department civilians ponder candidates during the election season, they should realize there are limits placed upon their involvement in certain political activities. Political-related "dos and don'ts" pertaining to military members of all service branches are proscribed within Defense Department Directive 1344.10, titled: Political Activities by Members of the Armed Forces on Active Duty.
The federal Hatch Act delineates what federal civilians, including those working for the Defense Department, may or may not do in the political realm.
For example, servicemembers and government civilians may attend political events like meetings and rallies, but military members must only be spectators and not wear their uniforms.
In addition, troops aren't permitted to make public political speeches, serve in any official capacity within political groups, or take part in partisan political campaigns or conventions.
Under Hatch Act rules, government civilians may be active in and speak before political gatherings or serve as officers of political parties or partisan groups. They're also allowed to manage political campaigns, distribute literature (except at work), write political articles, or serve as spokespersons for political parties or candidates.
Military members generally aren't allowed to campaign for political office. Civilians can campaign for office in non-partisan elections. Partisan political activity is defined as activity directed toward the success or failure of a political party or candidate for a partisan political office or partisan political group.
Yet, basic rules apply to both military members and government civilians. Neither can use their position in the military or the government to influence or interfere with elections. Servicemembers and federal civilians never can engage in political activity on the job, in a government vehicle, or while wearing an official uniform.
For example, servicemembers and government civilians are not to distribute political literature at work. This also applies to politically partisan electronic mail messages forwarded over the Internet.
Servicemembers and government civilians are encouraged to exercise their right to vote and participate in the democratic process. But, they should know there are rules in place that govern the extent of their involvement in political activities, officials said.
Jan. 17, 2008 - As U.S. servicemembers and Defense Department civilians ponder candidates during the election season, they should realize there are limits placed upon their involvement in certain political activities. Political-related "dos and don'ts" pertaining to military members of all service branches are proscribed within Defense Department Directive 1344.10, titled: Political Activities by Members of the Armed Forces on Active Duty.
The federal Hatch Act delineates what federal civilians, including those working for the Defense Department, may or may not do in the political realm.
For example, servicemembers and government civilians may attend political events like meetings and rallies, but military members must only be spectators and not wear their uniforms.
In addition, troops aren't permitted to make public political speeches, serve in any official capacity within political groups, or take part in partisan political campaigns or conventions.
Under Hatch Act rules, government civilians may be active in and speak before political gatherings or serve as officers of political parties or partisan groups. They're also allowed to manage political campaigns, distribute literature (except at work), write political articles, or serve as spokespersons for political parties or candidates.
Military members generally aren't allowed to campaign for political office. Civilians can campaign for office in non-partisan elections. Partisan political activity is defined as activity directed toward the success or failure of a political party or candidate for a partisan political office or partisan political group.
Yet, basic rules apply to both military members and government civilians. Neither can use their position in the military or the government to influence or interfere with elections. Servicemembers and federal civilians never can engage in political activity on the job, in a government vehicle, or while wearing an official uniform.
For example, servicemembers and government civilians are not to distribute political literature at work. This also applies to politically partisan electronic mail messages forwarded over the Internet.
Servicemembers and government civilians are encouraged to exercise their right to vote and participate in the democratic process. But, they should know there are rules in place that govern the extent of their involvement in political activities, officials said.
Pentagon Officials Salute King's Legacy
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 17, 2008 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today led the Pentagon's 23rd annual observance of the birth and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "This is a day to remember a great American. It is also a day to reflect on what we can do to further the struggle for human freedom and dignity that Dr. King helped lead and for which he gave his life," Gates said.
King was a Baptist minister and renowned civil rights leader during the late 1950s and early 1960s. He successfully advocated non-violent protest as the best path for African Americans to take in achieving civil rights guaranteed to all Americans under the U.S. Constitution. King was assassinated at age 39 in Memphis, Tenn., on April 4, 1968. America honors King's memory each year on the third Monday of January.
"Dr. King pushed the country to adhere to the just and true idea on which it was founded: that all human beings are equal in their God-given right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," Gates said.
During African Americans' struggle for equality, Gates said, King employed tactics "that showed how well he understood the nation he sought to change for the better."
Gates recalled the year 1958, when a non-violent "sit-in" led by African-American students in his hometown of Wichita, Kan., "helped end segregation at drug stores throughout Kansas."
The Defense Department has long promoted racial equality, Gates said. President Harry S. Truman ended segregation across the U.S. military in 1948.
Gates said he is honored to lead "an institution that began breaking down the barriers of race at the dawn of the modern civil rights revolution." African American servicemembers, he said, "have represented the United States with honor and distinction" throughout the history of the country.
And, as America wages war against terrorists that threaten the destruction of the homeland, African Americans "have participated in the defense of the nation well beyond their percentage of the population," Gates pointed out.
The observance's keynote speaker, Army Lt. Gen. Michael D. Rochelle, follows in the footsteps of such exemplary African American military leaders as former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff retired Army Gen. Colin L. Powell; Army Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward, the present-day commander of U.S. Africa Command; and others, Gates said.
Rochelle, the Army's deputy chief of staff for personnel, will oversee an increase of 30,000 active-duty soldiers over the next several years.
"It is a tall order -- to grow the force in a way that relieves the stress from current military operations, enables the United States to meet its commitments at home and abroad, and achieves the goals without sacrificing the quality we have come to expect in our all-volunteer force," Gates said. He added that he has "every confidence" in Rochelle's ability.
"The Army and the nation are depending on General Rochelle, and my hope and expectation is that, in the years ahead, more African Americans will staff the Army and other branches at the highest levels following the examples set by Generals Colin Powell, Kip Ward, and many others," Gates said.
The U.S. military has come a long way since the days of segregation, Rochelle said. He related the story of World War II soldier Vincent R. Malveaux, who -- along with more than 2,200 other U.S. African American troops -- volunteered to transfer from support service to front-line infantry duty in early 1945 following the Battle of the Bulge in Europe. Malveaux and the other volunteers, he said, were required to drop in rank in order to fight against the German forces.
Malveaux had been a first sergeant and became a private. He and other African American volunteers fought with distinction with 309th Infantry Battalion, 78th Infantry Division. Malveaux earned the Combat Infantryman's Badge, Bronze Star Medal and multiple campaign medals.
However, the U.S. Army of that time was still segregated, Rochelle said, noting Malveaux's and others' awards were denied. Malveaux's and some other soldiers' medals were restored and presented in 1998 at a Pentagon ceremony.
Rochelle said he'd spoken recently with Malveaux, now nearly 90, and asked the World War II veteran why he and his fellow soldiers volunteered for front-line service all those years ago.
Malveaux's answer, the three-star general said, was simply: "'To whom much is given, much is expected.'"
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 17, 2008 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today led the Pentagon's 23rd annual observance of the birth and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. "This is a day to remember a great American. It is also a day to reflect on what we can do to further the struggle for human freedom and dignity that Dr. King helped lead and for which he gave his life," Gates said.
King was a Baptist minister and renowned civil rights leader during the late 1950s and early 1960s. He successfully advocated non-violent protest as the best path for African Americans to take in achieving civil rights guaranteed to all Americans under the U.S. Constitution. King was assassinated at age 39 in Memphis, Tenn., on April 4, 1968. America honors King's memory each year on the third Monday of January.
"Dr. King pushed the country to adhere to the just and true idea on which it was founded: that all human beings are equal in their God-given right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," Gates said.
During African Americans' struggle for equality, Gates said, King employed tactics "that showed how well he understood the nation he sought to change for the better."
Gates recalled the year 1958, when a non-violent "sit-in" led by African-American students in his hometown of Wichita, Kan., "helped end segregation at drug stores throughout Kansas."
The Defense Department has long promoted racial equality, Gates said. President Harry S. Truman ended segregation across the U.S. military in 1948.
Gates said he is honored to lead "an institution that began breaking down the barriers of race at the dawn of the modern civil rights revolution." African American servicemembers, he said, "have represented the United States with honor and distinction" throughout the history of the country.
And, as America wages war against terrorists that threaten the destruction of the homeland, African Americans "have participated in the defense of the nation well beyond their percentage of the population," Gates pointed out.
The observance's keynote speaker, Army Lt. Gen. Michael D. Rochelle, follows in the footsteps of such exemplary African American military leaders as former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff retired Army Gen. Colin L. Powell; Army Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward, the present-day commander of U.S. Africa Command; and others, Gates said.
Rochelle, the Army's deputy chief of staff for personnel, will oversee an increase of 30,000 active-duty soldiers over the next several years.
"It is a tall order -- to grow the force in a way that relieves the stress from current military operations, enables the United States to meet its commitments at home and abroad, and achieves the goals without sacrificing the quality we have come to expect in our all-volunteer force," Gates said. He added that he has "every confidence" in Rochelle's ability.
"The Army and the nation are depending on General Rochelle, and my hope and expectation is that, in the years ahead, more African Americans will staff the Army and other branches at the highest levels following the examples set by Generals Colin Powell, Kip Ward, and many others," Gates said.
The U.S. military has come a long way since the days of segregation, Rochelle said. He related the story of World War II soldier Vincent R. Malveaux, who -- along with more than 2,200 other U.S. African American troops -- volunteered to transfer from support service to front-line infantry duty in early 1945 following the Battle of the Bulge in Europe. Malveaux and the other volunteers, he said, were required to drop in rank in order to fight against the German forces.
Malveaux had been a first sergeant and became a private. He and other African American volunteers fought with distinction with 309th Infantry Battalion, 78th Infantry Division. Malveaux earned the Combat Infantryman's Badge, Bronze Star Medal and multiple campaign medals.
However, the U.S. Army of that time was still segregated, Rochelle said, noting Malveaux's and others' awards were denied. Malveaux's and some other soldiers' medals were restored and presented in 1998 at a Pentagon ceremony.
Rochelle said he'd spoken recently with Malveaux, now nearly 90, and asked the World War II veteran why he and his fellow soldiers volunteered for front-line service all those years ago.
Malveaux's answer, the three-star general said, was simply: "'To whom much is given, much is expected.'"
Thursday, January 17, 2008
America Supports You: Group Offers Holistic Mental Health Treatments
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 16, 2008 - Servicemembers returning from deployment and their families can find help readjusting to their lives at home through traditional and holistic therapies offered by a long-established Colorado group. For more than 30 years, Lost and Found Inc. has specialized in providing intervention and rehabilitation treatment for families that have run out of options, said Linda Olson, the organization's development manager.
Recently, however, the organization developed a program geared toward military families.
"(We) launched a holistic mental health outreach to active military (personnel) and their families in fall 2007," she said.
The program focuses primarily on returning troops and their families before, during and after deployment, she added.
Among other issues, the program addresses post-traumatic stress disorder, grief and reintegration issues through a combination of traditional psychotherapy and "experiential" therapies, Olson said. Natural and alternative therapies also are employed.
Experiential therapies include art, music, poetry and play.
This "continuum of care" approach ensures clients receive the full compliment of services that will lead to full restoration, Olson said.
"Many military troops and their families are stationed far away from their families of origin. At Lost and Found Inc., these individuals will find a family spirit," she said. "By networking directly with Homefront Heroes, another military outreach nonprofit (organization), Lost and Found Inc. will make sure each troop and his (or) her family receives all the services they need."
In addition, the organization offers its services to servicemembers and their families regardless of Veterans Affairs disability status or the ability to pay.
Lost and Found Inc. is a new supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
"Exposure through (this affiliation) will mean that more individuals and families will access our services," Olson said. "Networking will benefit Lost and Found Inc. in several ways. We'll be able to support others who endeavor to help this population of military and their families, and we'll be able to share knowledge with fellow professionals."
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 16, 2008 - Servicemembers returning from deployment and their families can find help readjusting to their lives at home through traditional and holistic therapies offered by a long-established Colorado group. For more than 30 years, Lost and Found Inc. has specialized in providing intervention and rehabilitation treatment for families that have run out of options, said Linda Olson, the organization's development manager.
Recently, however, the organization developed a program geared toward military families.
"(We) launched a holistic mental health outreach to active military (personnel) and their families in fall 2007," she said.
The program focuses primarily on returning troops and their families before, during and after deployment, she added.
Among other issues, the program addresses post-traumatic stress disorder, grief and reintegration issues through a combination of traditional psychotherapy and "experiential" therapies, Olson said. Natural and alternative therapies also are employed.
Experiential therapies include art, music, poetry and play.
This "continuum of care" approach ensures clients receive the full compliment of services that will lead to full restoration, Olson said.
"Many military troops and their families are stationed far away from their families of origin. At Lost and Found Inc., these individuals will find a family spirit," she said. "By networking directly with Homefront Heroes, another military outreach nonprofit (organization), Lost and Found Inc. will make sure each troop and his (or) her family receives all the services they need."
In addition, the organization offers its services to servicemembers and their families regardless of Veterans Affairs disability status or the ability to pay.
Lost and Found Inc. is a new supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
"Exposure through (this affiliation) will mean that more individuals and families will access our services," Olson said. "Networking will benefit Lost and Found Inc. in several ways. We'll be able to support others who endeavor to help this population of military and their families, and we'll be able to share knowledge with fellow professionals."
Navy Granted Authority To Use Sonar In Training Off California
The Navy announced today that two important steps have been taken under existing law and regulations to allow it to conduct effective, integrated training with sonar off the coast of southern California after a federal court earlier this month imposed untenable restrictions on such training.
In accordance with the provisions of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), and at the recommendation of the Secretary of Commerce, the President concluded that continuing these vital exercises without the restrictions imposed by the district court is in the paramount interests of the United States. He signed an exemption from the requirements of the CZMA for the Navy's continued use of mid-frequency active (MFA) sonar in a series of exercises scheduled to take place off the coast of California through January 2009. The Navy already applies twenty-nine mitigation measures approved by federal environmental regulators when using active sonar, and these will remain in place.
An exemption from the act was sought after an order was issued on Jan. 3 by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, which created a significant and unreasonable risk that the Navy will not be able to conduct effective sonar training necessary to certify strike groups for deployment in support of world-wide operational and combat activities. Use of sonar is part of critical, integrated training that must be done in the Navy's operating area off the coast of San Diego to take advantage of Southern California's bathymetric features and its extensive ranges, airfields, and other infrastructure necessary for effective training. Approximately half the Navy's fleet will receive its most critical, "graduate level" training here before it deploys its forces around the world.
In a separate but related action, the Council on Environmental Quality approved the Navy's request for alternative arrangements for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, for these exercises until completion of the Southern California Range Complex environmental impact statement.
Following up on these actions, Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter signed a decision memorandum yesterday agreeing to those arrangements, which include adaptive management measures, more thorough reporting procedures, and increased public participation.
"We can protect our national security while simultaneously being good stewards of the environment," said Winter. "These alternative measures, in addition to the 29 protective measures already in place, will ensure our operating forces can train realistically without harming the environment."
"We are already taking extensive measures to protect marine mammals, and we have had positive results from those measures," said Winter. "We are furthermore committed to an extensive data collection effort to help inform our future efforts in this regard."
Even before the court's order, the Navy employed 29 protective measures, developed in cooperation with the National Marine Fisheries Service, any time sonar is used on Navy ranges, or in major exercises. The existing measures include, among other things, stationing specially trained lookouts to look for marine mammals, passive acoustic monitoring for marine mammals, establishing safety zones around ships where sonar power is reduced or shut down if marine mammals are sighted, and employing extra precautions during chokepoint exercises.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead said that the actions were necessary in order to ensure the Navy's ability to train Sailors to detect quiet submarines that might threaten its ships.
"We cannot in good conscience send American men and women into potential trouble spots without adequate training to defend themselves," said Roughead.
"The southern California operating area provides unique training opportunities that are vital to preparing our forces, and the planned exercises cannot be postponed without impacting national security," said Roughead. "The steps that have been taken will allow our men and women to train realistically, while continuing the effective employment of proven mitigation measures that have been endorsed by the Council on Environmental Quality and our regulator, the National Marine Fisheries Service."
For additional information, contact the Navy Office of Information at (703) 697-5342 or visit the Navy's Web site concerning sonar and marine mammals at http://www.whalesandsonar.navy.mil, or the Southern California Range Complex Environmental Impact Statement Web site at http://www.socalrangecomplexeis.com.
In accordance with the provisions of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), and at the recommendation of the Secretary of Commerce, the President concluded that continuing these vital exercises without the restrictions imposed by the district court is in the paramount interests of the United States. He signed an exemption from the requirements of the CZMA for the Navy's continued use of mid-frequency active (MFA) sonar in a series of exercises scheduled to take place off the coast of California through January 2009. The Navy already applies twenty-nine mitigation measures approved by federal environmental regulators when using active sonar, and these will remain in place.
An exemption from the act was sought after an order was issued on Jan. 3 by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, which created a significant and unreasonable risk that the Navy will not be able to conduct effective sonar training necessary to certify strike groups for deployment in support of world-wide operational and combat activities. Use of sonar is part of critical, integrated training that must be done in the Navy's operating area off the coast of San Diego to take advantage of Southern California's bathymetric features and its extensive ranges, airfields, and other infrastructure necessary for effective training. Approximately half the Navy's fleet will receive its most critical, "graduate level" training here before it deploys its forces around the world.
In a separate but related action, the Council on Environmental Quality approved the Navy's request for alternative arrangements for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, for these exercises until completion of the Southern California Range Complex environmental impact statement.
Following up on these actions, Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter signed a decision memorandum yesterday agreeing to those arrangements, which include adaptive management measures, more thorough reporting procedures, and increased public participation.
"We can protect our national security while simultaneously being good stewards of the environment," said Winter. "These alternative measures, in addition to the 29 protective measures already in place, will ensure our operating forces can train realistically without harming the environment."
"We are already taking extensive measures to protect marine mammals, and we have had positive results from those measures," said Winter. "We are furthermore committed to an extensive data collection effort to help inform our future efforts in this regard."
Even before the court's order, the Navy employed 29 protective measures, developed in cooperation with the National Marine Fisheries Service, any time sonar is used on Navy ranges, or in major exercises. The existing measures include, among other things, stationing specially trained lookouts to look for marine mammals, passive acoustic monitoring for marine mammals, establishing safety zones around ships where sonar power is reduced or shut down if marine mammals are sighted, and employing extra precautions during chokepoint exercises.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead said that the actions were necessary in order to ensure the Navy's ability to train Sailors to detect quiet submarines that might threaten its ships.
"We cannot in good conscience send American men and women into potential trouble spots without adequate training to defend themselves," said Roughead.
"The southern California operating area provides unique training opportunities that are vital to preparing our forces, and the planned exercises cannot be postponed without impacting national security," said Roughead. "The steps that have been taken will allow our men and women to train realistically, while continuing the effective employment of proven mitigation measures that have been endorsed by the Council on Environmental Quality and our regulator, the National Marine Fisheries Service."
For additional information, contact the Navy Office of Information at (703) 697-5342 or visit the Navy's Web site concerning sonar and marine mammals at http://www.whalesandsonar.navy.mil, or the Southern California Range Complex Environmental Impact Statement Web site at http://www.socalrangecomplexeis.com.
Mirror Therapy Shows Promise in Amputee Treatment
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 16, 2008 - When Army Sgt. Nicholas Paupore puts a mirror between his legs and looks down, he's whole again. The right leg that was destroyed when an explosively formed penetrator ripped through his Humvee just south of Kirkuk, Iraq, suddenly reappears before his eyes, reflecting the left leg that remains. Paupore, 32, admitted he was skeptical when Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) Jack Tsao suggested using a mirror to help him deal with excruciating pain he continued feeling in his missing right leg.
The phenomenon, called "phantom limb pain," plagues as many as half of all amputees, likely the result of a faulty signal between the brain and the missing appendage, Tsao explained. Neurons in the brain continue sending out signals to a limb that's no longer there. As a result, amputees can feel discomfort or pain and, in some cases, the sense that their missing limb is stuck in an uncomfortable position.
For Paupore, a 101st Airborne Division artilleryman who was serving on a military transition team training Iraqi troops when he was wounded in July 2006, the pain felt like electric shocks or knives stabbing into his missing leg. "It felt like someone ... was putting an electrode on the back of my ankle," he said.
Paupore tried several different painkillers, including morphine, but none gave him relief.
Tsao, associate professor of neurology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, in Bethesda, Md., thought he was on to something when he revisited literature he'd first seen while in graduate school. Vilayanur Ramachandran, a neuroscientist at the University of California San Diego, had come up with mirror therapy to treat phantom limb pain in upper extremities.
Ramachandran used mirrors so amputees could "see" and "move" their missing limbs to relieve the discomfort. Funding restrictions and lack of a steady stream of amputees prevented Ramachandran from testing his research through clinical trials.
Tsao, who treats military amputees wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here, had no such restrictions. With huge Defense Department interest in caring for combat-wounded amputees, he had little trouble selling a treatment that involved little more than a $20 mirror.
He set up a clinical trial and recruited 18 combat-wounded amputees suffering from phantom limb pain to participate.
Paupore admitted he wasn't convinced when Tsao first proposed the trial, but said he figured he had nothing to lose. "I was really skeptical," he said. "But I figured, I'm not going anywhere, so I'll try it."
Tsao randomly assigned the participants into three groups. One group received mirror therapy as advocated by Ramachandran. One went through the same therapy, but with the mirror covered by a sheet so it didn't reflect the limb. The third group got no mirror and simply visualized seeing the missing limb in a mirror.
Paupore began the trial in the second group, with a covered mirror. After four weeks, he felt little change. But when Tsao switched him to the group using an uncovered mirror so he was able to "see" his missing leg, Paupore saw immediate improvement.
Sitting on a hospital bed with his legs fully extended, Paupore demonstrated the therapy. He put a standard 6-foot-long mirror lengthwise between his left leg and the residual stump on his right side, with the mirror reflecting the intact leg. He moved the leg, watching the movement in the mirror and imagining that his missing leg was making the movements.
The very first time he tried it, Paupore felt something happening. "The stump started firing off right away," he said. "It got a little uncomfortable."
Participants in the trial used the mirror therapy technique 15 minutes a day, five days a week for four weeks. "Pain levels seemed to come down after the first week and keep diminishing," Tsao said.
Every single person who used the mirror experienced relief, and some reported that their phantom pain disappeared altogether.
Tsao continued administering the therapy for an additional four weeks, up to eight weeks, and saw more success in patients who still felt phantom pain. Many were able to get off their pain medicine altogether or bring their pain levels down to a point where it was manageable with low dosages of drugs, he said.
"The mirror works for most people who have tried it," Tsao said. "It doesn't work fully for everyone. Some people are left with some residual pain, but it is better than when they started. For the most part, if you talk to the amputees here, they have actually been able to get off the medications, some sooner than others."
Those who used the covered mirror or visualization had far less success, Tsao reported. Some said their phantom pain actually worsened until they began therapy with an actual mirror.
More than a year after completing his mirror therapy, Paupore said he still experiences occasional phantom pain, but "only once in a great while." The pain is far less severe than before the mirror therapy, and Paupore is off painkillers altogether.
"It tricks your brain into thinking your leg is still there, so it's not misfiring," he said. "I don't know how it works, but it works."
Paupore said he encourages other amputees suffering from phantom pain to give mirror therapy a try. "I've always recommended it to them," he said. "At least give it a try. Some people may get mild help out of it; some may get extraordinary help out of it."
Tsao is quick to say mirror therapy doesn't work for everybody. "It's not a cure-all for all kinds of phantom pain, but it's definitely a way to improve therapy," he said.
Even patients whose pain remains after the therapy reported less severe symptoms. "A lot of them are very surprised that they are actually able to get movement and then the pain seems to be going away."
Tsao published the results of the clinical trials this past fall in the New England Journal of Medicine. Based on the promise it's shown, he said, he hopes to get approval for two more studies.
One will test mirror therapy for treating phantom pain in missing arms; Tsao said he hopes to conduct that trial both at Walter Reed at the Center for the Intrepid military rehabilitation facility, at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. The second trial, called functional magnetic resonance imaging, will attempt to figure out precisely why mirror therapy works.
Overall, Tsao called the Defense Department's advances in treating amputees "nothing short of phenomenal" and said he's proud to be playing a part.
"I think the most gratifying part of this is that we are actually able to help in the rehabilitation process for the amputees here," he said. "I go home everyday knowing people are going to be getting better. It makes me feel great."
American Forces Press Service
Jan. 16, 2008 - When Army Sgt. Nicholas Paupore puts a mirror between his legs and looks down, he's whole again. The right leg that was destroyed when an explosively formed penetrator ripped through his Humvee just south of Kirkuk, Iraq, suddenly reappears before his eyes, reflecting the left leg that remains. Paupore, 32, admitted he was skeptical when Navy Cmdr. (Dr.) Jack Tsao suggested using a mirror to help him deal with excruciating pain he continued feeling in his missing right leg.
The phenomenon, called "phantom limb pain," plagues as many as half of all amputees, likely the result of a faulty signal between the brain and the missing appendage, Tsao explained. Neurons in the brain continue sending out signals to a limb that's no longer there. As a result, amputees can feel discomfort or pain and, in some cases, the sense that their missing limb is stuck in an uncomfortable position.
For Paupore, a 101st Airborne Division artilleryman who was serving on a military transition team training Iraqi troops when he was wounded in July 2006, the pain felt like electric shocks or knives stabbing into his missing leg. "It felt like someone ... was putting an electrode on the back of my ankle," he said.
Paupore tried several different painkillers, including morphine, but none gave him relief.
Tsao, associate professor of neurology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, in Bethesda, Md., thought he was on to something when he revisited literature he'd first seen while in graduate school. Vilayanur Ramachandran, a neuroscientist at the University of California San Diego, had come up with mirror therapy to treat phantom limb pain in upper extremities.
Ramachandran used mirrors so amputees could "see" and "move" their missing limbs to relieve the discomfort. Funding restrictions and lack of a steady stream of amputees prevented Ramachandran from testing his research through clinical trials.
Tsao, who treats military amputees wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here, had no such restrictions. With huge Defense Department interest in caring for combat-wounded amputees, he had little trouble selling a treatment that involved little more than a $20 mirror.
He set up a clinical trial and recruited 18 combat-wounded amputees suffering from phantom limb pain to participate.
Paupore admitted he wasn't convinced when Tsao first proposed the trial, but said he figured he had nothing to lose. "I was really skeptical," he said. "But I figured, I'm not going anywhere, so I'll try it."
Tsao randomly assigned the participants into three groups. One group received mirror therapy as advocated by Ramachandran. One went through the same therapy, but with the mirror covered by a sheet so it didn't reflect the limb. The third group got no mirror and simply visualized seeing the missing limb in a mirror.
Paupore began the trial in the second group, with a covered mirror. After four weeks, he felt little change. But when Tsao switched him to the group using an uncovered mirror so he was able to "see" his missing leg, Paupore saw immediate improvement.
Sitting on a hospital bed with his legs fully extended, Paupore demonstrated the therapy. He put a standard 6-foot-long mirror lengthwise between his left leg and the residual stump on his right side, with the mirror reflecting the intact leg. He moved the leg, watching the movement in the mirror and imagining that his missing leg was making the movements.
The very first time he tried it, Paupore felt something happening. "The stump started firing off right away," he said. "It got a little uncomfortable."
Participants in the trial used the mirror therapy technique 15 minutes a day, five days a week for four weeks. "Pain levels seemed to come down after the first week and keep diminishing," Tsao said.
Every single person who used the mirror experienced relief, and some reported that their phantom pain disappeared altogether.
Tsao continued administering the therapy for an additional four weeks, up to eight weeks, and saw more success in patients who still felt phantom pain. Many were able to get off their pain medicine altogether or bring their pain levels down to a point where it was manageable with low dosages of drugs, he said.
"The mirror works for most people who have tried it," Tsao said. "It doesn't work fully for everyone. Some people are left with some residual pain, but it is better than when they started. For the most part, if you talk to the amputees here, they have actually been able to get off the medications, some sooner than others."
Those who used the covered mirror or visualization had far less success, Tsao reported. Some said their phantom pain actually worsened until they began therapy with an actual mirror.
More than a year after completing his mirror therapy, Paupore said he still experiences occasional phantom pain, but "only once in a great while." The pain is far less severe than before the mirror therapy, and Paupore is off painkillers altogether.
"It tricks your brain into thinking your leg is still there, so it's not misfiring," he said. "I don't know how it works, but it works."
Paupore said he encourages other amputees suffering from phantom pain to give mirror therapy a try. "I've always recommended it to them," he said. "At least give it a try. Some people may get mild help out of it; some may get extraordinary help out of it."
Tsao is quick to say mirror therapy doesn't work for everybody. "It's not a cure-all for all kinds of phantom pain, but it's definitely a way to improve therapy," he said.
Even patients whose pain remains after the therapy reported less severe symptoms. "A lot of them are very surprised that they are actually able to get movement and then the pain seems to be going away."
Tsao published the results of the clinical trials this past fall in the New England Journal of Medicine. Based on the promise it's shown, he said, he hopes to get approval for two more studies.
One will test mirror therapy for treating phantom pain in missing arms; Tsao said he hopes to conduct that trial both at Walter Reed at the Center for the Intrepid military rehabilitation facility, at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. The second trial, called functional magnetic resonance imaging, will attempt to figure out precisely why mirror therapy works.
Overall, Tsao called the Defense Department's advances in treating amputees "nothing short of phenomenal" and said he's proud to be playing a part.
"I think the most gratifying part of this is that we are actually able to help in the rehabilitation process for the amputees here," he said. "I go home everyday knowing people are going to be getting better. It makes me feel great."
Face of Defense: Biomedical Maintainers Ensure Medical Success
By Senior Airman Terri Barriere, USAF
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 16, 2008 - The Air Force Theater Hospital here is the hub for military en-route patient care in Iraq, and the Tuskegee medics ensure proper preparation of patients prior to air evacuation from the theater of operations. For the hospital to succeed in its mission of saving lives, airmen of 332nd Medical Support Squadron Biomedical Maintenance Flight work behind the scenes to keep the facility's equipment up and running.
"In a nutshell, we maintain all medical equipment and facilities, said Air Force Staff Sgt. Brian Cummings, a 332nd MDSS biomedical equipment technician, deployed from Langley Air Force Base, Va.
When equipment is brought in for maintenance, it's prioritized according to mission impact, he said.
"If a defibrillator is broken, we've got to get that working right away," Cummings said. "If someone was to have a heart attack, they'd have to go get a defibrillator from another area, and that's precious time that could cost someone their life."
Cummings said the evolution of technology in contemporary medicine has increased the need for biomedical equipment technicians.
"Modern patient care revolves around not just the skill of the doctor, but technology as well," he said. "When the equipment is running correctly, it allows the doc to do their job to the best of their ability. And with the most accurate diagnostic equipment at the doc's disposal, the patients have a better chance at survival and recovery."
When things are running smoothly around the facility and nothing is broken, the technicians use the time to perform routine preventive maintenance on all the equipment.
"When we do our routine maintenance, we look for things that will help prolong the life of the equipment and keep it running as well as possible," Cummings said.
They also use the time to train medics on proper use of new equipment to prevent user error.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Mathew Kurian, a biomedical equipment technician deployed from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, said that even though the technicians work behind the scenes, the work they do is rewarding. "It's really nice when you see the equipment you work on used to save a patient's life," he said.
As with any mission operating in a remote location, luxuries afforded biomedical equipment technicians at their home stations aren't always available here, forcing the technicians to become more resourceful and diverse in skill knowledge, said Staff Sgt. Orlando Ortega, a biomedical equipment craftsman deployed from Barksdale Air Force Base, La.
"Stateside, we don't handle all the facility work orders, such as plumbing and electrical issues," he said. "Also, stateside, manufacturers can come in and do the work on their broken equipment. Here, everyone depends on us. If we can't fix it, it has to be sent to the company, which completely takes the unit out of service for several weeks."
With technology constantly evolving, the technicians agree it's hard to know everything about every piece of equipment all the time.
"Equipment changes almost every day," Ortega said. "It's not realistic to think you can learn everything about every piece of equipment. Our technical school helps prepare us by giving us the foundation and framework -- the basics. We fill in the gaps as we go and sort of teach ourselves by using the literature and skills picked up along the way from co-workers."
biomedical equipment technicians consider themselves to be "Jacks of all trades."
"Plumbers work on pipes, carpenters work with wood, but we can work on everything in the hospital; we're not limited to one field," Cummings said. "When you work on medical equipment, you have to know how to fix everything -- and we do, because there's no telling what you're going to see."
(Air Force Senior Airman Terri Barriere serves with 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Jan. 16, 2008 - The Air Force Theater Hospital here is the hub for military en-route patient care in Iraq, and the Tuskegee medics ensure proper preparation of patients prior to air evacuation from the theater of operations. For the hospital to succeed in its mission of saving lives, airmen of 332nd Medical Support Squadron Biomedical Maintenance Flight work behind the scenes to keep the facility's equipment up and running.
"In a nutshell, we maintain all medical equipment and facilities, said Air Force Staff Sgt. Brian Cummings, a 332nd MDSS biomedical equipment technician, deployed from Langley Air Force Base, Va.
When equipment is brought in for maintenance, it's prioritized according to mission impact, he said.
"If a defibrillator is broken, we've got to get that working right away," Cummings said. "If someone was to have a heart attack, they'd have to go get a defibrillator from another area, and that's precious time that could cost someone their life."
Cummings said the evolution of technology in contemporary medicine has increased the need for biomedical equipment technicians.
"Modern patient care revolves around not just the skill of the doctor, but technology as well," he said. "When the equipment is running correctly, it allows the doc to do their job to the best of their ability. And with the most accurate diagnostic equipment at the doc's disposal, the patients have a better chance at survival and recovery."
When things are running smoothly around the facility and nothing is broken, the technicians use the time to perform routine preventive maintenance on all the equipment.
"When we do our routine maintenance, we look for things that will help prolong the life of the equipment and keep it running as well as possible," Cummings said.
They also use the time to train medics on proper use of new equipment to prevent user error.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Mathew Kurian, a biomedical equipment technician deployed from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, said that even though the technicians work behind the scenes, the work they do is rewarding. "It's really nice when you see the equipment you work on used to save a patient's life," he said.
As with any mission operating in a remote location, luxuries afforded biomedical equipment technicians at their home stations aren't always available here, forcing the technicians to become more resourceful and diverse in skill knowledge, said Staff Sgt. Orlando Ortega, a biomedical equipment craftsman deployed from Barksdale Air Force Base, La.
"Stateside, we don't handle all the facility work orders, such as plumbing and electrical issues," he said. "Also, stateside, manufacturers can come in and do the work on their broken equipment. Here, everyone depends on us. If we can't fix it, it has to be sent to the company, which completely takes the unit out of service for several weeks."
With technology constantly evolving, the technicians agree it's hard to know everything about every piece of equipment all the time.
"Equipment changes almost every day," Ortega said. "It's not realistic to think you can learn everything about every piece of equipment. Our technical school helps prepare us by giving us the foundation and framework -- the basics. We fill in the gaps as we go and sort of teach ourselves by using the literature and skills picked up along the way from co-workers."
biomedical equipment technicians consider themselves to be "Jacks of all trades."
"Plumbers work on pipes, carpenters work with wood, but we can work on everything in the hospital; we're not limited to one field," Cummings said. "When you work on medical equipment, you have to know how to fix everything -- and we do, because there's no telling what you're going to see."
(Air Force Senior Airman Terri Barriere serves with 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs.)
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