New York Naval Militia Assists Border Patrol on Lake Champlain

Rouses Point, N.Y.— Once again this summer, members of the New York Naval Militia will assist the U.S. Border Patrol in inspecting pleasure craft entering the United States from Canada on Lake Champlain during peak boating weekends in July and August.

Over five consecutive weekends from July 20 through Aug. 19, a Naval Militia boat and two-man crew will join Border Patrol agents in inspecting boats entering the United States at Rouses Point, Clinton County; and directing them to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspection station.

The Border Patrol routinely mounts operations during the summer to remind boaters of the need to check-in as they enter the United States. More than 2,000 boats make entry into U.S. waters from the Richelieu River into Lake Champlain each summer. During the peak boating season and high traffic periods of summer weekends, an estimated 100 to 150 boats will pass through the border daily.

The Naval Militia crews on Patrol Boat 230, a 25-foot boat capable of holding 10 people, in partnership with law enforcement agents on personal watercraft – will team with Border Patrol agents to meet with visiting boaters that do not report, explain the inspection process and direct them to the CBP inspection station.

The support on the waters of Lake Champlain allows the Border Patrol agents to better manage the flow of boaters passing through the CBP inspection station and respond to other safety and security needs on the lake.

"Our Naval Militia boat crews look forward to working with the Border Patrol each year on Lake Champlain," said Major General Patrick Murphy, the Adjutant General of New York. "Assisting federal, state and local authorities on New York's waterways is a mission these citizen sailors and marines train for regularly and enjoy."

“The Border Patrol continues to strengthen its law enforcement partnerships along the border by integrating our assets and personnel with our local, state, federal and tribal partners. We enjoy our partnership with the New York State Naval Militia as this unity of effort not only assists us with securing our nation’s border, but is also critical in engaging and educating our international boating community,” said Chief Patrol Agent John Pfeifer of the Swanton Sector.

The New York Naval Militia is a component of the New York Military Forces-- including the Army and Air National Guard -- commanded by the Adjutant General, Major General Patrick Murphy.

Most of the 2,000 members of the Naval Militia are members of the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard Reserves who agree to perform state missions when needed at the order of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. Five percent of the force are volunteers who are retired military members.

Naval Militia members man the nine boats of the New York Military Emergency Boat Service, but they also employ their military skills in other missions useful to the state. During the state response to Tropical Storms Irene and Lee in 2011, members of the Naval Militia served in command posts and in support roles while others helped sandbag the Schenectady City water works to prevent flooding.

The Naval Militia maintains a fleet of nine patrol boats in its Military Emergency Boat Service (MEBS) which support law enforcement agencies, the United States Coast Guard and other federal agencies. The Naval Militia works regularly with the United States Coast Guard in New York Harbor, carrying inspection teams out to ships waiting offshore to enter the harbor aboard Patrol Board 440, a state-of-the-art patrol boat.

CBP would also like to remind boaters of the availability of the Small Vessel Reporting System (SVRS) to the northern border. The online reporting tool is a voluntary program and will expedite the entry process for participating boaters entering or coming back into the U.S.

The system is open to all U.S. citizens and permanent residents, as well as Canadian citizens, Canadian landed commonwealth residents and Canadian landed immigrants who are nationals of a Visa Waiver Program country who have a valid passport and an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA); or hold a U.S. visa for admittance, a valid passport, and a CBP Form I-94. Boat owners and passengers can fill out an online application and schedule a visit to an enrollment center near them to apply to the program. There is no fee to apply to the program. Boat owners or passengers who are currently members of a CBP Trusted Traveler Program (e.g. NEXUS or Global Entry), or who hold a current form I-68, can enroll without visiting an enrollment center.

For more information or to begin the registration process, please visit the CBP Small Vessel Reporting System (SVRS) web site. ( CBP Small Vessel Reporting System (SVRS) )

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Sailor Among Those Killed in Aurora, Colo. Shooting

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Navy officials confirmed July 21 a Sailor was among those killed when a gunman opened fire July 20 in an Aurora, Colo. movie theater.

Petty Officer Third Class John Larimer, 27, of Crystal Lake, Ill., died from injuries sustained in the incident. One other Sailor was treated for injuries and released at the scene. Both Sailors were from a unit that belongs to U.S. Fleet Cyber Command/U.S. Tenth Fleet, located at Buckley Air Force Base, Colo.

"I am incredibly saddened by the loss of Petty Officer John Larimer--he was an outstanding shipmate," said Cmdr. Jeffrey Jakuboski, Larimer's commanding officer. "A valued member of our Navy team, he will be missed by all who knew him. My heart goes out to John's family, friends and loved ones, as well as to all victims of this horrible tragedy."

Larimer joined the Navy June 16, 2011 and was a cryptologic technician third class. He had been stationed in Aurora since October 2011.

Carter: U.S. to Work with Japan on Osprey Analysis

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

TOKYO, July 21, 2012 – Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter answered a barrage of questions on the V-22 Osprey during a press conference with Japanese media representatives here today.

U.S. defense leaders plan to introduce the Osprey, a tilt-rotor aircraft, into service supporting Japan-based Marine Corps operations later this year. Full operational capability is currently set for October, but several Japanese leaders have notified the central government of their reservations about the aircraft’s safety.

Reporters cited two recent crashes -- one in Morocco in April, which killed two people, and another in June that happened in Florida and injured five people -- as cause to delay operating the aircraft in Japan.

The first 12 Ospreys intended for use in Japan are now loaded on cargo ships and heading for Iwakuni, a Japanese port city that is also the site of a U.S. Marine station.

Reporters’ questions today focused on whether the United States will stick to the October timeline, despite the concerns of several Japanese leaders and some residents of Iwakuni and Okinawa.

“The Osprey is an important capability; it’s going to make an important new contribution to deterrence and to the deterrent capabilities of the alliance,” Carter said. “And it’s an aircraft that we are flying … the world over.”

The deputy secretary added that as DOD’s chief management officer, “The safety of aircraft is a great concern to me, and a great responsibility of mine.”

He said he understands that aircraft safety is also extremely important to the government and people of Japan.

“I think that’s entirely appropriate,” Carter said. “And we are committed to providing your airworthiness experts with all of the data and all of the information about the entire flight history of the V-22, including the two recent incidents, and allowing them to analyze that data and take every step they need to make to reconfirm the airworthiness of that airplane.”

The U.S. and Japanese governments have agreed that flight operations will not begin until that reconfirmation has taken place, Carter said.

“This is a process, a technical process of assessing airworthiness,” he said. “I think you have to let the experts do their work, have their access to their data, and so forth.”

The two governments routinely work together to address airworthiness issues, the deputy secretary noted.

“It’s a normal part of the process of confirming flight safety of aircraft of all types,” Carter said. “So it’s something that is totally understood by Japanese experts as it is by our experts.”

Carter said addressing Japanese concerns over the Osprey’s safety is an issue the two governments will solve together.

“That’s what longstanding, trusting allies that are democracies -- this is how they work things through,” the deputy secretary said. He added, “And, you know, we’re going to resolve it. That’s the whole point.”

Presidential Proclamation -- Honoring the Victims of the Tragedy in Aurora, Colorado

HONORING THE VICTIMS OF THE TRAGEDY IN AURORA, COLORADO

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BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

As a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence perpetrated on July 20, 2012, in Aurora, Colorado, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, July 25, 2012. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.

BARACK OBAMA

Face of Defense: Former WACs Recall Their Army Journeys

By Army Spc. Charlotte Martinez

345th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, Calif., July 20, 2012 – When you picture a soldier today, the image of either a man or a woman in uniform may come to mind. Forty years ago, that picture wasn’t as diverse.

Two female soldiers, who joined up during the mid-1970s when Army women served in an entirely separate branch, recounted their experiences and how they overcame challenges as the Army transitioned into today’s force.

“I was the first in a lot of things, but I wasn’t trying to prove anything. I just happened to be in that spot at that time in history and didn’t know it,” said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Grace Davidson, a Harrisburg, Ark., native who joined the Army in April 1975.

At the conclusion of the Vietnam War, the role for women in the Army began evolving from serving in an all-female Women’s Army Corps to becoming members of a gender-integrated force.

“I was still at home and out of high school and had to do something so my parents said, ‘You need to go to college,’ But I really didn’t know what I wanted to do or what I wanted to major in -- in life,” said Army Sgt. 1st Class Verdean Miller, an Albuquerque, N.M. native, and assistant noncommissioned officer-in-charge of personnel and administration with the 90th Sustainment Brigade, based out of North Little Rock, Ark.

Miller, who joined the Army two months after Davidson in June 1975, said she was sitting in class at Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical & Normal College at Pine Bluff, now known as the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, one very hot summer day when she decided that after class, she would talk to a recruiter and take the placement test to join the military.

Although she gave all the service branches an initial thought, Miller had participated in Army ROTC at the university and ultimately chose the Army. She left for basic training at Fort McClellan, Ala., in January 1976. Miller said she knew then she would serve for 20 years.

Davidson said she joined the Army because she wanted to further her high school education and receive the Vietnam-era GI Bill. She signed up for the WAC when she was 17 and left for basic after turning 18. Davidson went to basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C., where she would eventually out-process from active duty into the Individual Ready Reserve.

“I initially signed up for four years. Back then, women didn’t have to do the eight-year commitment like they do now,” said Davidson, currently an information systems technician with the 90th Sustainment Brigade. She extended a year and served five years on active duty.

For Davidson and Miller, basic training was completely separated from men; unlike today’s integrated basic training in which men and women train together, yet live in separate quarters.

The Women’s Army Corps, created during World War II, disbanded in 1978.

“They were slowly integrating us into the regular Army, and when the WAC went away it just kind of disappeared, faded away. You almost didn’t know it went away,” Davidson said. “They had just started teaching women to fire an M-16 and that was interesting. I had never fired a rifle before and I fired expert. Probably because I didn’t know any different and did exactly what they told me to do.”

Miller said, “I began to meet other young ladies coming from all walks of life. It was a very interesting experience. Because coming up, I really didn’t deal with other races of people before because the neighborhood I lived in was all black, the university I went to was all black, so every now and then I would come in contact [with people from different racial backgrounds] but not like I did when I first came into the Army.”

After basic training, Davidson went to Fort Devens, Mass., for school to become an electronic warfare/intercept systems repairman, while Miller went to Fort Benjamin Harrison, Ind., to become a personnel management specialist.

Davidson, who spent five years on active duty, said while she was out-processing at Fort Jackson, a recruiter recommended she join the IRR so she could re-enlist later if she wanted. Davidson met her husband during her five years of active-Army service and they had two small sons at the time she left active duty.

“When I went to Germany, I was the first woman in my unit,” said Davidson, who served in Idar-Oberstein, Germany, during her active-duty status. “They had never had a woman in that unit before. My platoon sergeant didn’t like that idea very much. I was in the 8th Infantry Division. We were in the field all the time. It wasn’t easy, but I had decided I was going to pull my weight and I told them if I can’t pull my weight, get rid of me and I meant it.”

Davidson, who has three grown sons who have served overseas as well, said she hid her first pregnancy for as long as possible because she did not want to let down her team members and company, and would continue to do as much as she could until they would not let her go to the field anymore.

“At that time, if you were a female with a family and your husband was also a soldier, if you got out, that was it. They wouldn’t take you back if you had a family,” Davidson said. “So [joining the IRR] was the best thing I ever did because I wouldn’t have been able to come back.”

After being in the IRR a little over a year and after her third son was born, Davidson said she missed the Army and decided to join the Army Reserve as a radio-teletype or “RATT-Rig operator,” a military occupational specialty which doesn’t exist anymore, she said. Davidson would earn the rank of sergeant, which was referred to as a “buck sergeant.”

“There was no accession for a ‘RATT-Rig’ operator in my unit, so I became an ammunition inspector, 55 X-Ray. Then, that’s how I became a warrant officer,” she said. “I did that for several years and we had a couple of warrant officer vacancies in our unit and I applied for warrant officer and I got my bar.”

Miller, on the other hand, remained on active duty for 12 years and in that time she became both a drill sergeant and an airborne instructor for the Army. She’d served nearly twelve and a half years when her parents became severely ill. Miller joined the Army Reserve in 1998 after a 10-year break in service, after her sister moved back home and told her she could finish her 20 years.

“When I joined the Reserve, they needed drill sergeants again,” Miller said. “As a reservist, I continued my drill sergeant status at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.”

Miller said she did not always agree with the male/female integrated training concept and believed that male drill sergeants should train male recruits while female drill sergeants trained female recruits during basic training. Afterward, she said, the two genders could come together to train during Advanced Individual Training.

“I have always talked to the females [in the training] platoons and said be proud of who you are. You have worked hard to get where you need to go,” Miller said of her time as a drill sergeant. “You don’t have to lower your standards to get to where you need to go. You should work hard and study hard to excel in life.”

Both women would continue their Army Reserve careers, eventually serving together in Balad, Iraq, from 2009 to 2010 with the 90th SB. They have continued to work with each other in that unit since.

“Joining the military … was one of the best things I ever did in my life,” Miller said. “Staying in was even better because now I’m looking at 26-27 years [of military service] and I am getting close to retirement and I just don’t see how a person can go wrong.”

“It is just amazing the stuff that I’ve learned,” said Davidson, speaking about the benefits of her nearly 40 years of military service. “People think I am so smart, but it is my soldiers who are smarter and they make me look smart. The training I’ve gotten has been great and my retirement is going to be really good.”

Both Davidson and Miller aren’t sure when they will retire, but they hope to leave a positive influence behind for the younger troops.

“Being in the military is like anything else,” Miller said. “Like a job, you have to discipline yourself and in order to advance you have to seek education, you have to seek knowledge.”

“Everyone is important, even if you don’t have a lot of ‘hero badges,’” Davidson said. “I think that’s important for people to remember. That’s what I have done my whole career mostly, is just let people be able to communicate, and that’s an important thing. I might not have a chest full of ribbons and badges, but I feel like I have done my part.”