Frontline Psych with Doc Bender: What’s the Difference between PTS, PTSD?

Discover these awe inspiring Second Gulf War books written by real-life veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn.

By Dr. James Bender

Dr. James Bender is a former Army psychologist who deployed to Iraq as the brigade psychologist for the 1st Cavalry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team out of Fort Hood, Texas. During his deployment, he traveled through Southern Iraq, from Basra to Baghdad. He writes a monthly post for the DCoE Blog on psychological health concerns related to deployment and being in the military.

Hello. I was talking to our DCoE social media people a few weeks ago and they were saying that some people confuse post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with post-traumatic stress. It’s an easy mistake to make, especially for people who don’t spend a lot of time studying the topic. However, there are significant differences between the two and it’s useful for our nation’s warriors and the people who support them to know about them.

Post-traumatic stress is a common, normal and often adaptive response to experiencing a traumatic or stressful event. If you’ve ever been a bit shocked or rattled after a car accident or had a close call with a physical injury (falling off a ladder, nearly drowning or being in a combat situation) you may have noticed your heart racing and maybe your hands shook for a while. You might find yourself leery about engaging in the activity that almost injured you. Being more careful in a potentially dangerous situation is one of the positive outcomes of post-traumatic stress. Other experiences, like avoiding the activity that almost got you hurt or feeling scared, will subside in time.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a clinically-diagnosed condition. Anyone who has experienced or witnessed a situation involving the possibility of death or serious injury can develop PTSD (although many people who experience traumatic situations recover after a period of adjustment). PTSD symptoms include reliving the event through nightmares, flashbacks or constantly thinking about the incident. Other symptoms include avoiding situations or people that remind you of the event, trouble feeling positive emotions, and being constantly jittery, nervous, or “on edge.” These symptoms must be present for more than one month to qualify for a PTSD diagnoses.

Key differences:

■Post-traumatic stress symptoms resolve on their own and improve within a month. PTSD symptoms are more severe, numerous and interfere with normal life

■Post-traumatic stress is common and most people with post-traumatic stress do not develop PTSD

■PTSD is a medically-diagnosed condition

Those with PTSD have many effective treatments available to them. There are medications that are FDA-approved to treat PTSD and therapy techniques, like exposure therapy and cognitive therapy. If you have, or think you may have PTSD, the best thing for you to do is to educate yourself, download the PTSD Coach mobile app, visit the Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD, or contact the DCoE Outreach Center for material.

Thanks for reading and for your service. Please respond to this post if you have any questions or comments. Stay safe.

Germantown Works to Gain Amphibious Warfare Certification

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Spencer Mickler, Amphibious Squadron 11 Public Affairs

SASEBO, Japan (NNS) -- Sailors aboard forward-deployed amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) worked toward amphibious warfare (AMW) certification Sept. 23.

Germantown must gain certification to perform amphibious operations, and is being tested by inspectors from Naval Beach Group 1.

"The amphibious warfare mission is our primary mission. Without that ability we can't be an asset to the U.S. Navy", said Cmdr. Jason Leach, Germantown executive officer. "That's the whole reason we are out here".

The certification process will take several days, in which inspectors will observe and test the crew in operationally critical areas.

"We're out here to check the preparedness of our forward-deployed assets," said Boatswain's Mate 1st Class Robert Saenz, of Naval Beach Group 1. "We assess the readiness and training of the crew in any area that involves the well deck operations including cranes, material conditions as well as small boat operations."

"So far they are doing great from top to bottom; this is what we see if the ship has good leadership and training," said Saenz.

Many of the crew members attribute their success during the certification thus far to the things they do on a daily basis.

"Train, train, train, even when we don't have any vehicles aboard we'll use a make-shift dummy so that we can keep training for an actual incident," said Damage Controlman Fireman Bryce Griffin. "That's why our team is getting the job done for this AMW certification".

"We deploy and operate a lot, and whenever we train we always go back to the basics," said Leach. "We always review and follow the instruction that way our Sailors know what to do."

Crew members aboard Germantown and inspectors will continue the certification process while embarking elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in Okinawa.

Germantown is part of the Essex Amphibious Ready Group, which reports to Commander, Amphibious Force 7th Fleet, Rear Adm. J. Scott Jones, who is headquartered in Okinawa, Japan.

Family, friends bid farewell to Kosovo bound Wisconsin Guard Soldiers

There was no shortage of support for approximately 30 deploying Wisconsin National Guard Soldiers during an official sendoff ceremony in West Bend Saturday (Sept. 24).

Gov. Scott Walker joined other state officials, family, friends and Wisconsin Guard leadership in honoring the Soldiers before a 12-month mobilization - which includes approximately two months of pre-deployment training at Camp Atterbury, Ind., followed by roughly 10 months in Kosovo in support of the NATO-led peacekeeping mission Kosovo Force, or KFOR.

Walker thanked the deploying Guard members on behalf of a "grateful state and nation" for the service they've already given and the sacrifice they'll give over the course of the next year.

The bulk of the Soldiers come from Company F, 2nd Battalion, 238th Aviation Regiment and will support the medevac mission as part of KFOR's Aviation Task Force. Twelve Soldiers, assigned to 248th Aviation Support Battalion, will join units from North Dakota, New Jersey and Wyoming to support the ATF's headquarters, lift and maintenance units, respectively.

"The Soldiers' experience is going to be perfect for this mission because the terrain and flying we do here is similar to what we'll be doing in Kosovo," said Capt. Joseph Bradley, commander of Detachment 1, Company B, 248th Aviation Battalion. "We'll do our peace sustainment mission and we'll do it well."

State Command Sgt. Maj. George Stopper spoke to the families in attendance and, by show of hands, polled the deploying Soldiers on deployment experience. He urged the Soldiers with prior deployment experience to guide newer Soldiers through the process.

Pfc. Alex Mumm, 238th flight operations specialist, is anxious to begin his first deployment.

"It'll be interesting to get over there and find out what a deployment is all about," Mumm said. "I'm definitely ready to be over there."

Kosovo Force - a cooperation between 30 countries, including 22 NATO nations - has worked to provide peace and stability in the area since 1999. Roughly 150 Soldiers of the 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade are currently training at Camp Atterbury and will report to Kosovo in late November.

Kristi Dilley, Mumm's girlfriend, said she plans to use every means of communication available to stay in touch.

"Duty has called, but he'll always be in my heart," Dilley said. "He's worth the wait."

Pacom Commander: North Korea Remains Central Concern

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By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2011 – North Korea’s challenges to Asia-Pacific security and stability were most acute in 2010, but remain a central concern for U.S. Pacific Command, Pacom’s commander said today.

North Korea’s nuclear program and military objectives are a Pacom focus, and the command’s people work within the U.S. government and with regional partners to see North Korea “change trajectory,” Navy Adm. Robert F. Willard told reporters at the Foreign Press Center here.

In March 2010, North Korean forces sank the South Korean ship Cheonan, killing 46 South Korean sailors. In November, North Korea launched an artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island, killing two South Korean marines and two civilians. In the wake of those attacks, the attitude of South Korea’s leaders and people has “fundamentally changed,” Willard said.

“There is very strong … intolerance at this point for any further provocations,” he added.

Kim Jong-un’s rise to prominence as North Korea’s likely next ruler, following his father, Kim Jong-il, may mean further provocations will come, Willard said.

“In the past, succession has come with provocation as the new leadership has attempted to establish their bona fides with the North Korean military,” the admiral said.

Kim Jong-un’s prominence during the 2010 attacks “was not lost on us,” Willard said. “The prospects that he could be somehow accountable in a next provocation [are] important to understand as well,” he added.

Kim Jong-il’s health may largely determine the timing of future attacks, the admiral noted.

“We watch North Korea closely, as you would expect us to,” Willard said. “We try to determine the succession dynamics that are ongoing, especially as we approach 2012, which the North Koreans have declared as an auspicious year for themselves and what that may portend in terms of Kim Jong-un’s leadership position.”

North Korea conducted nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009. In January, then-Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he believed North Korea would develop an intercontinental ballistic missile that would be a “direct threat” to the United States within five years.

Willard said members of his command watch North Korea’s nuclear developments “very carefully.”

“We are concerned … that [Kim Jong-il] will continue to promote his ballistic missile programs, as well as his weapon programs,” the admiral said. “It’s very much the subject of the discussions that are going on right now between the United States and [North Korea], and I think South Korea and [North Korea] as well.”

In response to a question on a possible U.S. sale of Global Hawk surveillance vehicles to South Korea, Willard said he has frequent discussions with South Korean officials about their capabilities and “the potential for U.S. procurement of defense articles that can service their needs.”

“There are discussions ongoing with regard to surveillance capabilities in the South, and I think the United States, as you know, is very guarded about these high-tech capabilities being provided as defense articles. So that discussion is, in fact, occurring,” the admiral said, noting the countries’ strong alliance.

“When you consider … the fact that we have 30,000 troops in the Republic of Korea and we are very, very closely aligned with the Koreans in terms of all our military capabilities, the prospects that our highly technical capabilities could ultimately be part of a foreign military sale is a consideration,” he said.

Defense Intelligence Agency Celebrates 50-Year Legacy

By Cheryl Pellerin

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27, 2011 – Since it began operations Oct. 1, 1961, the Defense Intelligence Agency has changed along with the nature of national security threats worldwide to become a key component of the U.S. intelligence community.

Today, according to agency officials, DIA is first in “all-source defense intelligence” – incorporating all sources of information -- to prevent strategic surprise and to support warfighters, defense planners and policymakers.

DIA manages and supplies all-source intelligence, and since the terrorist attacks in 2001, a growing number of DIA intelligence professionals have deployed globally alongside warfighters and interagency partners.

“We are more forward-deployed than ever, operating alongside our combat troops in harm’s way,” DIA Director Army Lt. Gen. Ronald L. Burgess Jr. said in a statement.

“DIA has an entire generation of intelligence professionals who know only wartime service. … They are very good at what they do, they’re committed to the mission, and they’re the best we’ve ever had,” he added.

The 9/11 attacks had a range of other effects on DIA and the rest of the intelligence community, including prompting the 2004 creation by Congress of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which assumed many functions of the positions of director and deputy director of central intelligence.

This and similar recommendations by the National Commission of the Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, known as the 9/11 Commission, increased the practice of embedding analysts and other professionals from various agencies in each other’s operations.

“When you go forward, you find CIA, [the National Security Agency], [the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency], DIA -- everybody working together right there on the floor in a tactical operations center or supporting a command,” DIA Deputy Director for Analysis Jeffrey N. Rapp told American Forces Press Service. “It’s really pretty remarkable the kinds of collaboration and integration that’s going on to enable operations.”

Such integration has helped prepare DIA for the future, Rapp said. “We may not be poised immediately for every possible problem we’re going to run into,” he added, “but one thing I’ve found is that we’re pretty adaptive.”

An example this year was Operation Unified Protector, he said.

“[Libya] wasn’t the top target on our radar screen, let’s face it,” Rapp said. “Yet within a matter of three weeks, we were implementing a complete change in national policy through an air campaign supporting combat operations.”

The 9/ll Commission’s recommendations also prompted intelligence agencies to improve information sharing within the federal government and among federal, state, and local authorities and with allies.

An enabling technology for such sharing is Analytic Space, or A-Space, a project on a classified network on the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System that was initiated by the ODNI Office of Analytic Transformation and Technology as a collaborative space for intelligence community analysts.

DIA was the executive agent for building the network’s first phase.

“It is a place where analysts can go, and at the highest classification levels, collaborate on ideas, discuss analytic issues and exchange information,” Rapp said.

A-Space is cross-agency and cross-topic, he added. “Analysts can get together more easily than just through email contact or even telephone, and it’s more like what our younger folks are used to doing today.”

Another example is the Library of National Intelligence, created by the ODNI and the CIA as an authoritative intelligence community repository for all disseminated intelligence products, regardless of classification.

A key feature is a card catalog that has summary information for each report classified at the lowest possible level to allow analysts to discover nearly anything that has been published by the community regardless of document classification.

“All the production produced by the [intelligence community] every month goes to this Library of National Intelligence,” DIA Information Sharing Executive Roland P. Fabia told American Forces Press Service.

“There are probably 10 million holdings that analysts are accessing,” he added, “and it’s not only finished intelligence, it’s also raw intelligence.”

DIA’s first major challenge was in 1962, when the Soviet Union secretly placed nuclear-capable ballistic missiles in Cuba and DIA analysts played a key role in their discovery. Today, the agency’s work includes global terrorist movements, insurgencies and arms proliferation, along with the convergence of advanced technology, a complex and shifting international political environment, and increasing competition for global resources.

“If you look at where we came from and why DIA was created, it was an integrative agency to help pull military intelligence and military capabilities and defense analysis together for the department and for the nation,” Rapp said.

DIA, in collaboration with the services and the combatant commands, “helps focus and provide the best possible decision advantage to our senior-most policymakers,’ he added, “whether it’s the chairman [of the Joint Chiefs of Staff] and the secretary of defense, or the president. So, I think DIA is on a good path.”

“The nation has been understandably focused on current operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere since 9/11, [but] the rest of the world has not stood still. Other nations have used this period as their windows of opportunity,” Burgess said.

“While supporting troops in harm’s way,” the director added, “DIA must also maintain a sharp focus to ensure that our efforts to combat transnational terrorists do not blind us to strategic surprise elsewhere.”

Leap Frogs Race Into Coronado Speed Festival

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By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (PJ) Michelle Turner, U.S. Navy Parachute Team Public Affairs

CORONADO, Calif. (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy parachute demonstration team, the Leap Frogs, performed during the opening ceremony of the 14th annual Coronado Speed Festival at Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI) in Coronado, Sept. 24-25.

The festival was one of the flagship events of Fleet Week San Diego, which allows local residents and visitors to celebrate the spirit and achievements of Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen through a series of public events.

The event attracted nearly 20,000 people to the base, which is usually closed to civilians. More than 250 vintage cars raced on the runways at NASNI and around 1,500 classic cars were on display for spectators. Navy jets, helicopters, hovercraft and a rigid-hull inflatable boat were also on display to help commemorate the Centennial of Naval Aviation at the birthplace of Naval aviation - NASNI.

"The Leap Frogs are awesome," said Capt. Yancy B. Lindsey, commanding officer of Naval Base Coronado. "They really add a great dimension to Coronado Speed Festival. Navy SEALs - American people love them, they love to see them so it's really not the opening ceremonies without the Leap Frogs."

The sky opened up after a cloudy San Diego morning just in time for the Leap Frogs to perform. A trail of smoke indicated that the team was ready to jump out of the C-2A Greyhound, assigned to the Providers of Fleet Logistics Combat Support Squadron (VRC) 30, and seconds later five Leap Frogs were in freefall flight. Two jumpers stacked their canopies in a bi-plane maneuver while the other three jumpers flew a POW/MIA flag, a checkered flag and an American flag with different colored smoke.

Musician 3rd Class Spencer Haasenritter, assigned to the Navy Band Southwest, sang the national anthem, which concluded just as the last jumper came in to land with the American flag.

"The pageantry of the opening ceremony component to me is why everybody is here," said Alexandra Squires, executive director for the Fleet Week San Diego Foundation. "They're here to honor the military and by having the Leap Frogs come out of the sky from nowhere is amazing!"

Fleet Week is a great opportunity to open the gates of NASNI to the public, said Lindsey. People can come in and interact with Sailors and see what equipment they operate and maintain. The proceeds from the event support Naval Base Coronado's Morale, Welfare and Recreation funds.

The Leap Frogs are based in San Diego and perform aerial parachute demonstrations across America in support of Naval Special Warfare and Navy Recruiting as a global force for good. The team is composed of parachuting experts from Naval Special Warfare including Navy SEALs, special warfare combatant-craft crewmen, and an NSW parachute rigger, in addition to support personnel.

For more information about the Leap Frogs, visit leapfrogs.navy.mil.

Success before Stress: Keeping Relationships Healthy

By Dr. Kate McGraw, DCoE clinical psychologist

If you could have the ideal loving relationship, what would that look like? For some couples, it would involve lots of time together and shared interests, and for others, it may include more space and time spent separately. There are many ways to be a loving partner, and the key is discovering what your partner needs from you, rather than what they aren’t giving to you. Often, loving your partner means putting yourself in their place and imagining what would bring them happiness.

Military couples face incredibly challenging stressors together. Those couples who remain resilient often find themselves with stronger relationships when the dust settles. However, many of the unique stressors imposed on military couples may chip away at the fabric of safety and peace within the relationship. What can you and your partner do to help protect your relationship from the stress of military life?

Here are some ideas to enrich your relationship so it serves as a vessel of comfort for you both:

■Ask your partner what they need. Also, you should both be able to identify what you need and how your needs can be met. If you both develop empathy for each other’s needs, than you will both be very satisfied with what you can create together in your relationship.

■Eliminate all sarcasm, name calling, belittling or other types of verbal and emotional abuse, and make a pact to not tolerate displays of temper such as slamming objects or doors. These behaviors cause significant damage to the trust and safety between you and may lead to physical abuse. If you’re able to say at least five positive comments to every negative one you say to your partner, your relationship will feel much more loving and supportive.

■Nurture the bond between you. One way is to foster and keep open regular communication about the important things in your life, as well as the small daily matters.

■Develop a homecoming ritual upon your partner’s return from deployment. This ritual can serve as a line of demarcation for both of you, a dividing point from their being away at war, to being here, at peace.

Often service members returning from deployment need a period of readjustment to their old lifestyle and familiar surroundings. They may want to talk but are unable to find words to express their experiences or feelings about what they’ve been through. They may need time to themselves, which you should respect. The non-military partner can play an important role in the stress management of the relationship by lovingly encouraging their military partner to seek help if it appears they are experiencing severe post-deployment problems.

Service members should remember that their partners want to help and reconnect with you. Have compassion for the stresses that they experienced while you were away. It’s OK to share your feelings about your deployment experiences without sharing details about what you saw or did. In this way you can reconnect emotionally, lean on your partner for support, and feel less isolated while protecting them from the harsh realities of what you experienced. Be alert for signs of traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder. If you find yourself unable to cope, talk to your partner about it and seek professional help. If you have suicidal thoughts, always seek professional help, as you may be experiencing depression, which resolves with proper treatment.

In the end, our relationships reflect the amount of energy and devotion we give to them. If you both give your relationship the gifts of compassion and empathy, regardless of what the external world heaps upon you, you both will reap the rewards of contentment and love within your relationship.

Are you familiar with some of the risk factors for suicide, which include relationship issues? Find out more about suicide prevention information and resources on the DCoE website.

Blue Angels Talk to Media Before NAS Oceana Air Show

By Aviation Structural Mechanic Airman Lenea Johnson, Naval Air Station Oceana Public Affairs

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (NNS) -- Members of the Navy's Flight Demonstration Team, the Blue Angels, spoke to local media Sept. 23 before the start of the 2011 Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana Air Show, which ran through Sept. 25.

Both pilots and enlisted crew members answered questions about what it's like to be part of the Blue Angels and offered advice for those who would like to join the prestigious team.

For Marine Maj. Brent Stevens, who flies left wing, being part of the Navy's Flight Demonstration Team is much more than just taking to the skies at shows such as the annual Oceana Air Show, which this year celebrates the Centennial of Naval Aviation.

While the Blue Angels' talent in the air is witnessed by millions every year, Stevens believes the most rewarding part of being a Blue Angel takes place on the ground.

"We visit schools and volunteer at hospitals and community events. We serve as representatives of the Navy and Marine Corps for those communities that do not have a military presence," he explained.

Originally from Knoxville, Tenn., Stevens has been a Marine for 15 years. Prior to applying to the Blue Angels, Stevens was an F/A-18 instructor and decided to take his training to the next level.

He says performing at military bases, especially at air stations where the sight and sound of military jets is a part of everyday life for those who live nearby, is an exciting challenge.

Stevens is very familiar with Oceana, having been stationed here from December 2002 to November 2003 with the "Gladiators" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106.

"There is a rush when flying in front of your peers and showing what the team can do. It's exciting everywhere we go, but it's great to be back in Virginia Beach," said Stevens.

He encourages Sailors and Marines who admire the Blue Angels to apply to join the team and emphasizes that the selection process for the Blue Angels pilot starts with a commission.

"A degree in aeronautics is not required. We have English literature majors on the team; the military will train you how to fly. Pilots fly a two-year rotation, so there will always be a need for talented pilots to follow in our footsteps," he said.

The next stop for the Blue Angels is Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif. Stevens explained that traveling is a large part of the job and being away from his family is challenging. His family includes his wife and 2-year-old daughter Riley, who already loves air shows and shouts "Daddy plane" whenever she sees an airplane.

While the Blue Angels pilots perform at air shows around the nation, they could not fly without the skilled maintainers who take care of their aircraft. Aviation Electronics Technician 1st Class (AW) James Buchanan, a Blue Angels crew chief, explained the importance of his job with the prestigious team.

"We come out every morning before the pilots and make sure all systems are operating properly. A crew chief is the first and last person to look at the aircraft each day," Buchanan said.

Crew chiefs are responsible for ensuring the aircraft are properly serviced and that any part not in perfect condition is detected and corrected promptly. Blue Angels crew chiefs are initially assigned an aircraft but are trained to work on every aircraft that performs. They also complete the pre- and post-flight inspections that keep both the F/A-18 Hornet and C-130 flying.

Originally from Toxey, Ala., Buchanan has been in the Navy for eight years and with the Blue Angels for the past year. Buchanan offered advice for those interested in being a part of the prestigious Blue Angels team: "Get your education and stay away from the wrong crowd. We're waiting for you."

The Blue Angels have performed for more than 427 million spectators since their inception in 1946. They fly the same aircraft and perform the same maneuvers as Navy combat pilots flying over Afghanistan and operating off flight decks of aircrafts carriers worldwide.

Brooke Toner: Life After the Knock on the Door

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2011 – Brooke Toner was 28 years old the day she heard the knock on her door.

That knock brought the news every military spouse dreads: for Brooke, it meant her husband of less than three years was never coming home.

“It was the worst day of my life,” she told the capacity crowd gathered at the Navy Memorial here yesterday for the award ceremony honoring her husband, Navy Lt. j.g. Francis L. Toner IV.

Toner died in Afghanistan while defending fellow service members from an enemy who had infiltrated the Afghan National Army. The Americans were unarmed and on a physical training run when the gunman started shooting. Toner accosted the man and bought time for another service member to seek help.

After Brooke accepted her husband’s posthumous Silver Star from Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, she told American Forces Press Service how she felt about the event, and how her life has changed since that knock on the door in 2009.

Surrounded by hundreds of friends, family, and ‘Frankie’ Toner’s fellow sailors, she said, “I’m just so proud of my husband. It’s as simple as that. I’m just proud that he’s a man who lived the way he did, who loved me the way that he did, just who he was as a person.”

Toner was a great friend, brother, support system to others and a Navy officer, she said.

“He was just so incredible,” she added.

Their first date was six years to the day before he was killed March 27, 2009, she said.

“I knew him for seven months before that; we started dating in 2003, and we were married in 2006,” she said. “We were married for two years, seven months, eight days.”

Brooke said she is now involved in the American Widow Project, which a fellow military widow, Taryn Davis, founded after her own husband was killed.

On the group’s website under “our mission,” visitors will find this:

“Since 2001, nearly 6,000 U.S. service members have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Around half of these service members were married, leaving an estimated 3,000 military widows across our country. While the service member’s sacrifice is acknowledged, many simply forget or fail to recognize the sacrifice of the spouse who is now left a widow of war. Oftentimes the invisible wounds of military widows are disregarded due to age or a simple lack of knowledge and understanding.

"The American Widow Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to the new generation of those who have lost the heroes of yesterday, today and tomorrow, with an emphasis on healing through sharing stories, tears and laughter … military widow to military widow.”

Brooke said the organization “means a lot to me, because I know how alone I felt. Just being able to meet with other women who understand the love that I have for my husband, and understanding that it’s forever.”

The group is “full of love, full of life, full of laughter, surprisingly,” she said. “For me to be able to let another widow know that they’re not alone, through the organization – I couldn’t ask for a better gift, because I know how I felt.”

In the two and a half years since her husband died, Brooke said, she has moved back to Idaho, where her “entire family” lives.

“After not living there for 12 years, I decided it would be a good support system at home, which is wonderful,” she said.

She also got a dog, which she named Kailua after the place she lived with her husband in Hawaii.

“I call him Kai. We picked out the name – we wanted to name our pets after places where we had lived,” she added.

Brooke said she travels to retreats “with the widows” and helps Davis with the group in any capacity she can.

“I’m just keeping busy. Each day I wake up and say, ‘I’m going to have a good day today.’ Because it’s not always easy,” she said. “So I make myself smile, and I find a way to really live and love life, the way me and Frankie lived and loved life.”

Mullen Presents Silver Star to Fallen Sailor’s Widow

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON  – The nation’s top military officer today presented a posthumous Silver Star to the widow of a heroic Navy officer who was killed in Afghanistan.

During a ceremony at the Navy Memorial here, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told the hundreds of people in attendance that Lt. j.g. Francis L. Toner faced death “tragically and heroically.”

Toner, 26, was deployed to Afghanistan with an embedded training team as garrison engineer mentor for the Afghan National Army’s 209th Corps at Forward Operating Base Shaheen, near Mazar-e-Sharif in northern Afghanistan.

He and three other officers were exercising, running around the camp’s perimeter on March 27, 2009, when an enemy fighter who had infiltrated the Afghan army attacked with a firearm.

As Toner’s Silver Star citation recounts, “In seconds, officers were shot and lying wounded on the ground. The gunman proceeded to shoot one of the wounded officers. … Toner, unarmed, verbally challenged the insurgent and continued to advance until he was fatally wounded.”

“I’ve been to enough [award presentations] and I’ve seen enough citations to know that he was basically walking straight into the enemy’s fire,” the chairman said of Toner’s actions. “We shouldn’t -- and we won’t -- ever, ever forget that service, that sacrifice,” the admiral added. “Because that is what makes us strong, as a military and as a nation.”

The chairman said today’s ceremony, attended largely by sailors in uniform, was particularly poignant for the Navy because Toner deployed as an individual augmentee, attached to an Army unit.

“I started that [program] when I was [chief of naval operations],” the admiral said.

Mullen said his experience in Vietnam and knowledge of ground operations made the decision to deploy individual sailors very simple.

“I knew the ground forces would bear the brunt, and every sailor I could get into the fight was going to relieve a soldier,” he said.

The Navy and Air Force have had thousands of their members “in the sand” of Iraq and Afghanistan, Mullen said.

“There are 12,000 there today, and that continues,” he said.

Brooke Toner, who accepted her husband’s Silver Star, spoke during the ceremony and thanked everyone who attended.

“Form the moment I got that knock on the door -- which was the worst day of my life -- I’ve been supported by my casualty assistance officer, by Admiral Mullen, by [Navy Rear Adm. Christopher J. Mossey, commander of Naval Facilities Engineering Command], by all of our friends who have wrapped their arms around our family to support us all,” she said.

Toner was born Sept. 26, 1982, in Panorama City, Calif. He graduated from Westlake High School in 2001 and his family relocated to Narragansett, Rhode Island, in 2002.

In the summer of 2002, Toner entered the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y. where he earned a bachelor of science degree in marine engineering and shipyard management.

In May 2006, Toner was commissioned an ensign in the U.S. Navy. He graduated from Navy Civil Engineer Corps Officer School in Port Hueneme, Calif., September 2006, and was assigned to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

He reported to Camp Mike Spann in Afghanistan in October 2008 for a one-year individual augmentee assignment.

Toner is survived by his wife, Brooke Toner; mother, Rebecca Toner; father, Francis Toner III; stepmother, Sharon; sister, Amanda; and brothers, John and Michael.

Toner was previously posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star with valor. The Silver Star is the third highest combat military decoration.

USS New Hampshire Sailors Present Flags to Governor Prior to Speedway Race

By Lt. Cmdr. Jennifer Cragg, Commander, Submarine Group Two Public Affairs

GROTON, Conn. (NNS) -- Twenty Sailors from USS New Hampshire (SSN 778) attended the New Hampshire Motor Speedway race in Loudon, N.H., Sept. 25, during one of many Navy community outreach events planned for New England Navy Week 2011.

Navy weeks feature engagements with corporate, civic, government, education and community service organizations and are conducted primarily to show Americans the investment they have made in their Navy.

"Attending this week's race in Loudon is a great opportunity for our Sailors to continue their great relationship with their namesake state of New Hampshire and proudly represent both," said Cmdr. John McGunnigle, commanding officer, USS New Hampshire.

Prior to the call to start their engines and with tens of thousands NASCAR fans watching, McGunnigle presented New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch with an American flag and state flag, both of which were flown on USS New Hampshire in the Arctic during Ice Exercise 2011.

"USS New Hampshire has a great connection with its namesake state. This week, five of my Sailors will participate in various New England Navy Week engagements to expand the awareness of our Navy, and in particular our submarine forces," said McGunnigle.

New Hampshire was commissioned at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, Oct. 25, 2008. She is the fourth ship to be named for the state of New Hampshire.

New England Navy Week 2011, gives area residents an opportunity to meet some of the Navy's Sailors and learn about the Navy's critical missions and its broad ranging capabilities.

New England Navy week runs Sept. 24-Oct. 2. The U.S. Navy conducts approximately 20 Navy Weeks each year. During a Navy Week celebration, the Navy concentrates a variety of outreach events in a metropolitan area for a week, sharing the Navy story with as many people as possible.

Injured Veterans Wrap Up Sports Clinic

By Terri Moon Cronk

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23, 2011 – The fourth-annual National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic that drew 100 injured military veterans, including three active-duty Marines, concludes today in San Diego.

This year’s clinic began Sept. 18. The yearly clinics, sponsored primarily by the Veterans Affairs Department, feature workshops designed to assist injured veterans to develop sports skills, officials said.

Attendees participated in adaptive kayaking, sailing, track and field, cycling, and surfing.

For many participants, the clinic is their first exposure to the therapeutic value of adaptive sports and recreational activities, officials said.

“The Summer Sports Clinic is proof of VA’s commitment to improve the quality of life for veterans with disabilities,” Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki said. “The clinic helps our most severely injured veterans gain physical and mental confidence.”

This year’s group of veterans attending the clinic had sustained injuries such as amputations, traumatic brain injuries, burns, psychological trauma, certain neurological conditions, visual impairments and spinal cord injuries.

At the outset of the clinic, VA’s undersecretary for health, Dr. Robert Petzel, said participants would be surrounded by fellow veterans who share common bonds though their service.

“The clinic helps wounded veterans return to active lifestyles through physical and mental rehabilitation,” Petzel added.

The VA’s San Diego Healthcare System has hosted the clinic since 2008. Other clinic sponsors this year include its founders, Help Hospitalized Veterans and the Veterans Canteen Service, as well as San Diego Marriott Marquis and Marina, Cisco Systems Inc., Health Net, Booz Allen Hamilton and Challenged America.

The 2012 National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic is scheduled to be held in San Diego from Sept. 16 to 21.

USS Constitution Sailors Participate in New England Navy Week

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From USS Constitution Public Affairs

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (NNS) -- Sailors assigned to USS Constitution began participating in New England Navy Week in Springfield, Mass., Sept. 24.

Sailors will perform War of 1812-era gun drills and 17th century boarding pike drills daily at The Big E, Eastern States Exposition, the largest fair in the Northeastern United States that is expected to attract more than one million guests.

"Navy Weeks in general are a great opportunity to bring the Navy to areas that are not near a Navy base and show people what the Navy is doing for the nation," said Cmdr. Matthew Bonner, Constitution's 72nd commanding officer. "It helps strengthen the relationship between the public and the Navy."

Sailors are also scheduled to teach naval history and interact with more than 300 students at Converse Middle School and Granite Valley Middle School in Monson, Mass.

Additionally, they will meet and give Navy ballcaps to children dealing with chronic and severe health issues as part of a Caps for Kids visit at Bay State Medical Center.

"I am excited to take part in one of my ship's important missions to give back to our community," said Seaman Gerald Coriolan, a Sailor assigned to Constitution. "There's no better place in Massachusetts or a better time to have a Navy Week."

This is the fifth Navy Week Constitution Sailors will participate in this year. The event runs through Oct. 2. They performed similar activities teaching naval history to more than 400 middle school students and giving more than 130 ballcaps to children in Tampa Bay, Fla., Austin, Texas, New Orleans and Chattanooga, Tenn.

The primary purpose of Navy Week is to increase Navy awareness by presenting the Navy to Americans who live in cities that normally do not have a significant naval presence. New England Navy Week will showcase the mission, capabilities and achievements of the U.S. Navy and provide residents the opportunity to meet Sailors in person.

Constitution is located in the Charlestown Navy Yard of Boston Harbor and is the world's oldest commissioned warship afloat. The ship defended the sea lanes against threat from 1797 to 1855, much like the mission of today's Navy. Constitution's mission today is to offer community outreach and education about the ship's history, as she welcomes more than 500,000 visitors per year.

Greenert Becomes Chief of Naval Operations, Roughead Steps Down

By Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Kyle P. Malloy

Chief of Naval Operations Public Affairs

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23, 2011 – Navy Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert became the 30th chief of naval operations during a change of command ceremony today at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.

Greenert accepted the Navy’s highest military post from Adm. Gary Roughead, who will retire Sept. 30 from the post he has held since September 2007. Both officers are Naval Academy graduates; Roughead, in 1973, and Greenert, in 1975.

Greenert, who previously served as vice chief of naval operations, will now become a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In that capacity, he will serve as principal naval adviser to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and President Barack Obama.

Mabus said the Navy will go through a transparent transition with Greenert now serving as its top officer.

“Admiral Roughead's contributions may be hard if not impossible to surpass, but I am confident that if anyone can match them it is Jon Greenert,” Mabus said.

Greenert praised Roughead’s example and said he would strive to follow it.

"My priorities, our course, are one, we've got to remain ready to meet the current challenges today, we've got to build a relevant and capable future fleet, and we have got to continue to care for our sailors, our civilians and their families, and recruit and nurture a motivated, relevant and diverse force," he said.

Greenert said he will focus on three tenets while in office: warfighting first, operate forward and be ready.

"We will approach our challenges and we will implement our changes that will have to be done in the future with three tenets in mind," he said. "They will be effective [and] efficient. Our solutions will be joint and the Marine Corps will remain our primary partner."

Mabus, who served as keynote speaker for the ceremony, highlighted Roughead's accomplishments during his naval career while thanking him for his leadership.

"I don't think anyone can ever fully express how much we're going to miss Gary Roughead's counsel and absolutely unwavering commitment to the Navy [and] the United States," said Mabus.

"Admiral Roughead has had the genius and the skill to turn so many of the challenges he's faced into opportunities," he said.

Mabus reviewed Roughead's career milestones, including being one of only two Navy admirals to command both the Pacific and Atlantic fleets.

"As chief of naval operations, his leadership has helped to reshape the Navy into the 21st century, operationally and strategically," said Mabus. "Gary Roughead's leadership skills follow great officers and a willingness to innovate while respecting the deep traditions of the sea service."

Mabus spoke about Roughead's commitment to his sailors, and how he always made them his first priority. "He never lost sight of the primary responsibility of leadership -- taking care of the people entrusted to you and to the office you hold," he said.

As Roughead took the podium, he thanked his counterparts, both foreign and domestic, friends and his family for their continued support and guidance during his tenure. He spoke about his unique experiences in the armed service, especially in the relationships built.

"There has been a lot of change, but throughout, there has been the decisive, constant and the aspect of the Navy that will be my enduring memory - our sailors," he said.

In an emotional conclusion, Roughead summarized his naval career.

"To echo what another Navy man said nearly five decades ago at this academy, when asked what I did to make my life worthwhile, I will respond with a great deal of pride and satisfaction, ‘I served in the United States Navy,’” he said.